


Leviathan!

by RoughDraftHero



Category: Original Work
Genre: Action, Humor, M/M, Romance, Slash, Superheroes, Villains
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-06-04
Updated: 2015-02-14
Packaged: 2017-11-06 20:38:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 76,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/422944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoughDraftHero/pseuds/RoughDraftHero
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leviathan has always been apathetic about this whole supervillian business. However, to impress his older brother, he chooses to make the new superhero in town his arch nemesis. Too bad this hero has a penchant for saving Leviathan! slash</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Volume 1!

Volume 1!

"So… you're supposed to be evil, right?"

The last slips of paper had yet to float downwards from the broken window, and already the peons were questioning him.

Turning, Leviathan slid his gaze towards the imbecile who spoke. The rest of the humans, measly office grunts, were smart enough not to intervene. He could almost taste the terror in their veins.

No, they weren't afraid of him. The people were never afraid of him.

Having spent his entire life in the shadow of Kraken, his brother, Leviathan had come to the realization that his serpentine appearance, not to mention his bitter personality, would never earn him the status of super-villain. He had a slender waist, and despite being taller than the average human, his shoulders were not exceptionally broad. At the very least, he looked cold and calculating.

"What a two dimensional word," he growled, narrowing his green eyes at the arrogant human. "Of course, only a fool would think in such terms."

He walked over to the man, and with one, slick movement, wrapped his leather-gloved hand around his neck. Leviathan's black nails, sharpened to a point, lightly grazed the pale skin of the infuriatingly unfazed human. "You should be trembling before me!" Leviathan hissed.

He blinked as the human tried to suppress a fit of giggles.

Opening his mouth to start screaming, Leviathan quickly shut it again when he heard the tell-tale signs of his brother down on the street. Kraken had been thrown out the window three minutes prior, when he tried to capture Volt in a stranglehold.

Why, of the all the superheroes in Capitalia, his brother chose a lightning demigod as an arch-nemesis, Leviathan would never know.

Everyone in the gray office building screamed and ducked behind their desk as a thunderbolt arched down past the windows like a jagged blade of glass. A tremendous boom rocked the earth, sending the building swaying back and forth.

With a sigh, Leviathan dropped the human, and made for the window, throwing an ineffectual "I'll see to you later," over his shoulder.

Staring down the expanse of the glass office building, Leviathan narrowed his lips, and rose a hand to his forehead to knead away the quickly forming headache. He could see Kraken down there, trading blow for blow with Volt. Obviously, the thunderbolt had missed his beloved brother.

It would only be a matter of time before Kraken fully transformed into his sea monster form, and Leviathan needed to be there to stop him.

Their goal that morning had been fairly simple: Since most of the heroes of Capitalia had been forced to the other side of the globe to confront some other "evil", Kraken and Leviathan would take advantage of the lack of do-gooders and break into every bank in town. Things started off well, and if Kraken had listened to him, they would have gotten home safe with some pretty serious cash.

However, his idiot brother wanted to keep going, and by the fourth bank, Volt had appeared.

The thunder demigod kept a pretty close eye on them, probably because they were an easy target. One hit from a thunderbolt could knock Kraken out for decades, and would definitely be fatal for Leviathan.

The serpentine monster had been sequestered to the sidelines for most of the battles with Volt, not that he minded. He wasn't the confrontational type… at least not when the encounter could end with death.

"Idiot…" Leviathan sighed.

Kraken was transforming. Leviathan only had a small amount of time before his brother ran out of oxygen. They were powerful beings, even in humanoid form, but they were masterful in their true incarnations: sea monsters. However, there was one ruinous drawback… they couldn't breath on land. With a large intake of breath, Leviathan leaped outwards from the building, and fell for what felt like an eternity.

He liked to think that he was good at falling gracefully. Not that he swan dived, or anything, but at least he wasn't like Kraken, who rocketed towards the earth like a meteor. There certainly was something charming about leaving a gaping crater wherever one landed, however Leviathan felt that he had the upper hand. He was much more stealthy than his brother.

Landing with a slight thud, Leviathan expertly absorbed the impact through his legs, and moved on towards the raging conflict in front of him. Already, Kraken was a fully transformed beast, flinging his tendrils out like three-ton whips.

People were running screaming as crumpled carcasses of cars landed around them. 'I wonder if he'll kill anyone?' Leviathan thought idly as he stepped quickly towards the fight.

They weren't murderers, Kraken and Leviathan At least, not these incarnations of themselves… he couldn't vouch for most of the time before the turn of the century. His ancestors would probably loathe him, Leviathan thought suddenly, almost losing track of what he was doing. Shaking the idea away, he ran on.

He almost reached his brother when, seemingly out of nowhere, he felt the impact of a body shoving him to the ground. "What in the name of…" he began to hiss, only to be cut off by the sound of semi truck landing not a few inches from where his fingers grasped the broken concrete. Clearly, his brother was past the stage of reason.

"Are you alright?"

Leviathan almost gagged from the compassion and empathy flooding through that cliched phrase. Looking up, his eyes met those of a young man, and he couldn't help but sneer. "Quite the hero, aren't we?"

The boy looked suitably disconcerted by Leviathan's mocking tone, "I just saved your life," he said, perhaps wondering if Leviathan had taken a blow to the head. He leaned forwards, and rested a hand around Leviathan's upper arm, pulling him upwards. "You shouldn't be here, it's dangerous."

Momentarily blind-sided by the young man's obliviousness, Leviathan allowed himself to be dragged several feet before coming to a dead stop. When the young man felt the jerk of Leviathan's arm, he turned with surprise. "I know its exciting, but you need to leave!" he said with disgustingly earnest eyes.

"Is this… some sort of prank?" Leviathan asked, "Or do you really think I'm a harmless innocent?" He jerked his arm away from the boy, and turned to collect his now suffocating brother. The idiot was still fighting, even as his gills started to turn blue. With a stab of consternation, Leviathan felt the grasp of a hand on his shoulder. "I can't let you go over there," came the now more commanding voice of the youth, "You'll be killed."

Leviathan then knew that the man was a superhero. He wasn't exerting enough strength that he would hurt Leviathan, if Leviathan were a human, but he was grasping harder than anyone of the human race should be able to. 'Enough of this,' Leviathan thought to himself, he had to get to Kraken.

Moving faster than the eye could see, he shirked the hand, and circled around in a low round house kick, successfully knocking the youth to the ground. Without waiting for a reaction, he ran towards his faltering brother.

Kracken was now slamming his tendrils down haphazardly, slicing canyons into the concrete at random intervals. His eyes were unfocused, and if he fell into unconsciousness before transforming back into his human form, he would die. Knowing this sent Leviathan into a sprint towards his brother, dodging one tendril only to be blockaded by another. With a loud crack through the air, he saw Volt fly over him towards Kraken.

Grasping his fists, Leviathan leapt onto a tentacle and ran towards the base of Kraken's body, praying that his brother didn't fling him several miles in the opposite direction. He barely made several yards before Volt was there, flying beside him. "Your brother has gotten even more reckless, if that's possible," the arrogant hero said with a laugh. Leviathan ignored him.

"Aren't you tired of being his babysitter?" Volt continued, "I mean, he is older than you, right?"

By at least fifty years. When Leviathan awoke in this existence, he had learned that the aging cycle of he and his brother had been thrown off. Technically, they were supposed to be twins, but Kraken's real brother had been killed. Well, Leviathan was Kraken's real brother, but he wasn't the right brother, and he knew it. Not that this was Volt's business.

"Fuck off," Leviathan yelled impetuously, and immediately regretted his outburst. Volt let out a chuckle, but continued to fly with him. Jumping from tendril to tendril, Leviathan found it almost impossible to reach his brother.

"Kraken!" he yelled, using every ounce of strength in his lungs, "Transform before it's too late!". He wondered if he should just transform as well, and attempt to drag Kraken to the edge of the bay.

Before he could make a decision, he felt his lungs depress as the sudden force of a tendril wrapping around him mid-jump stopped him from getting any closer. "Shit," he rasped, his head reeling as the tendril ascended towards the sky, carrying Leviathan along with it.

He knew what was about too happen, Kraken was preparing to send him into the ground like a sledgehammer.

His brother was past recognizing the difference between friend and foe, and may very well kill Leviathan before perishing himself. The situation had never been this dire before, and as Leviathan rose to the clouds, he wondered if this would be the last thing he was remembered for: being pancaked into the cement by his own brother.

Sure, they weren't always successful villains, but who was? He and Kraken had a track record that much older evils would be jealous of… well, they hadn't lived up to their predecessor's legends yet, but Kraken had assured him that they were young and had time.

The memory of Kraken's voice filled his head just as the last buildings dropped away around him, "The heroes always win, Leviathan. The point is to cause as much misery as possible before that happens."

Smiling ruefully, he felt his stomach flip like all humans must feel at the apex of a roller coaster ride. Any moment now, Kraken would bring his tentacle down a millions times harder than gravity. It was time to transform.

"That's a terrible idea."

Leviathan turned his head as scales started to emerge from his skin, and saw Volt, arms crossed, floating beside him. "I have no choice," Leviathan hissed, grimacing as his bones started to grow and rearrange.

"I could help you…" the arrogant bastard trailed off, smirking.

Leviathan let loose a low growl as his vocal chords began to change. "Like I would trust you…" he rasped, his teeth becoming pointed.

It was too late for debate, as a tremor ran through Kraken's body, and suddenly Leviathan found himself, half transformed, rushing towards the earth with breakneck speed. Just as quickly, Volt sped past him, a sharp crack sounding in his wake.

Leviathan saw him head to the base of Kraken's body, as if in slow motion, and raise his hands. "Oh no…" Leviathan thought, watching as a crackling, snapping ball of energy appeared between Volt's hands. He was going to electrocute both of them.

Luckily, his transformation was complete. Leviathan twisted away from Kraken's grip and crashed on to the ground, barely feeling a thing. He was now the length of three city buses, and just as big.

The first time Leviathan transformed into his sea dragon shape, Kraken had made sure that they were far out in the ocean. It took a lot of energy to transform back and forth, so they usually avoided it. Their God shapes were meant for warring only… well, supposedly. That never accounted for Kraken losing it and turning into a giant sea monster at any given moment.

"Volt!" Leviathan screamed telepathically just as the superhero let loose his thunder missile at Kraken. Watching with horror, Leviathan rushed towards his brother as the electricity reverberated through Kraken's body.

"What are you waiting for?" Volt said, circling over the now unconscious Kraken. "Take him to the sea!"

He didn't need to hear it twice. Grasping on to several of his brother's tentacles with his enormous jaw, Leviathan dragged Kraken down the street, towards the bay. All he needed to do was get Kraken and himself to the water before they both ran out of oxygen.

Several excruciating minutes later, Leviathan and Kraken tumbled into the sea with such a force, it sent a wave crashing back towards land, overlapping the dock.

Leviathan sighed with relief as he felt the oxygen pass through his gills, and then looked towards his brother. Sinking farther down, Kraken seemed to be regaining color. Did this mean Leviathan would have to thank that obnoxious superhero?

''''''''''''

A few hours later, they were back at their "evil lair"; an affordable duplex close to downtown.

"That bastard!"

Kraken, of course, was not pleased to hear that he had to be save by Volt. He was pacing the room with exaggerated frustration.

"Maybe you should have been more careful?" Leviathan replied, languidly flipping through a book he had been meaning to read. Tuning out the string of curses from his brother, Leviathan glanced down at his watch. "I have to go,"

"What" Kraken growled, incredulous. "We have work to do! We have to come up with a new plan!"

"And we will," Leviathan replied, "Meanwhile, I have a job." Standing up, he patted his brother on the shoulder. "Something's got to pay the bills, and it sure hasn't been villainy."

Kraken scoffed at this, and brushed Leviathan's hand away. "Fine, go work like a peasant. Shame your ancestors."

Biting his lip, Leviathan turned and grabbed his coat. The last thing he wanted to think about was disappointing his ancestors. "I'm sure we'll come up with something great," he said as he stepped out the door.

Tucking Kraken away in the back of his mind, Leviathan rushed to make the bus to his work on time. Riding the city metro with the plebeian humans left something to be desired, but he held back his disdain.

He worked at a rather large bookstore. It fit his nature, and he rarely had to interact with humans because most people did not approach him. He spent hours just quietly putting books back where they belonged, after thoughtless patrons would leave them wherever they felt like, willy nilly.

As he was clicking on his name tag, he felt a tap on his shoulder. "Levi,"

Turning around, he came face to face with his indomitably cheerful manager. "Levi, I'd like you to meet the new addition to our little family!" She leaned forward, shining her ridiculous smile at him. "And I want you to train him, Mr. Cranky-Pants."

She swung around to gesture at a young man standing behind her.

Leviathan involuntarily gawked. It was the young superhero who tried to stop him from saving Kraken.


	2. Volume 2!

Volume 2!

"Eh, well, Levi isn't much of of talker."

The manager was whispering through the side of her mouth at the young man standing next to her.

'He must recognize me," Levi thought, staring at the man. 'What is he waiting for?'

Jerking in surprise, Levi almost hissed as the young man suddenly reached out a hand. "Well, my mom calls me a chatterbox, so I guess I can talk for the both of us." he said, flashing a blindingly white smile. "You can call me Troy."

Levi stared at the hand, and slowly slid his fingers into a listless shake. Maybe the superhero hadn't recognized him? "I see," he said.

After several moments, Troy let out a nervous laugh. "So, where should we start?"

Walking out of the store that second would be the smart thing to do. If a superhero found out his alter-ego… Levi would have no where to hide, and his name would lead directly to Kraken. His brother would kill him if he let their secret out.

"Follow me," Levi said. He didn't really feel like doing the smart thing. He had to know if this was some sort of ruse, if the young man was playing him, and knew exactly what Leviathan was.

Troy nodded, and followed as Leviathan led him through the giant book store. Weaving deftly through the crowds of holiday shoppers, Levi almost lost his tagalong, but Troy managed to keep up until they reached the upper floor. Stopping suddenly, Levi snarled when he felt the graceless hero thud into him.

His lip curled when he saw Troy staring at the stacks they stopped at.

"Comic books?" the hero asked.

"Yes," Leviathan replied, sliding his hand down the spine of a particularly thick anthology. "They're surprisingly popular, even now." He pulled the book out, and flipped through several pages. "Do you read them?"

"Not really," Troy said, glancing anywhere but the comic novel in Levi's hands. "Aren't they for… kids, or whatever?"

"Hm," Levi said, barely responding. He handed the book over to Troy. "People of all ages buy them." He was waiting for Troy to flinch, to break, to show some sign that he knew Levi was a villain. With a sigh, he crossed his arms. "You seem like the superhero type."

Troy's eyes flashed up. "What?" he said, slightly pale.

Levi was slightly disappointed. If this boy was worried about getting caught, then he most likely had no clue that he was standing in front of the same supervillian who knocked him down with a roundhouse kick only a few hours before.

"Never mind," He jerked the book out of Troy's grip, and placed it neatly back in it's slot. "We let the kids sit here and read, but they can't open the shrink-wrapped novels."

"Oh," Troy replied, slightly dumbfounded.

They moved methodically through the stacks as Levi explained how he made sure to circle the story every twenty minutes to replace books that the patrons had left lying around. For awhile, he even forgot that he was talking to a superhero.

"What if someone can't find a book?"

Levi looked over at Troy. "So?"

"Aren't we supposed to help them?"

Sighing, Levi crossed his arms. "I suppose," he said with a drawl.

Troy laughed, which he immediately tried to cover up with a cough when he realized that Levi wasn't joking around. The villain stared at him for several moments, lips tightly pressed together. "Are you finished?" Levi asked.

Nodding, Troy jumped to follow Levi as the shorter man promptly began stalking away. They were almost out of the store when Levi stopped short, and turned to stare at Troy. "Why are you following me?"

"I'm… supposed to?" Troy replied with trepidation.

"It's our lunch hour," Levi said, tilting his head. He turned to walk away, only to hear someone else clear their throat. Turning again, he saw that the manager was standing at the welcome counter beside them.

"Come now, Mr. Cranky-Pants, don't make Mr. Sunshine eat alone."

Levi turned to Troy. "Your last name is Sunshine?" he asked drolly.

"What if it is, Mr. Cranky-Pants?" Troy replied.

Levi couldn't help but smirk at the young hero's snark, and nodded his head for Troy to follow him. Walking several paces in silence, he wondered what he could possibly talk about with a superhero.

"You know," Troy said, cutting through Levi's thoughts. "My last name isn't actually Sunshine."

"Really?" Levi replied with a hint of sarcasm. He heard Troy laugh, and shook his head. What was he doing?

"Here," he gestured at the small Indian place that he liked to eat at during lunch. They stepped inside, and waited to be seated. Almost immediately, a waiter came up with a menu, and gestured for Levi to sit at a small table near the window.

"Mr. Mender, you don't have to wait. I always have your table ready."

"Ah, well," Levi gestured over at Troy.

The waiter smiled with sincere warmth. "A friend?" he said, blatantly surprised. He looped his arm around Troy's, and dragged the young man further into the restaurant, leaving Levi behind. "It's so wonderful to meet you," the man said, "Mr. Mender has been coming here for years, but he always sits alone." He said the last word as if it were made of poison.

Pushing Troy down into a chair, he gestured for Levi to come forward. "How did you two meet?"

"We're coworkers," Levi replied, sitting stiffly in his chair.

The waiter, oblivious to the villain's tone, continued to blather on about how Levi would show up every day and sit alone as he ate his chicken vindaloo. Troy laughed along, glancing at the cold man across from him.

"Could I have some water?" Levi cut in, hoping the waiter would catch a hint. Thankfully the man nodded, and hurried off.

"Don't worry about it," Troy said, smiling.

"Worry about what?"

"You know, eating alone."

Levi narrowed his eyes. "Why would I worry about that?"

Shaking his head, Troy just smiled, and placed a napkin in his lap. "So, you like Indian food?"

"It's passable," Levi replied quietly.

A moment of silence threatened to stretch into an awkward pause. Shifting in his chair, Troy stared at the menu as Levi considered slicing the young man's throat open. How much would his reputation soar if he killed a superhero? Probably not at all, considering this one was green, no one had ever heard of him.

Speaking of which, Levi wondered, what kind of hero was he? Did he have powers, but didn't use them? Was he from a different city? Capitalia drew a lot of heroes from across the globe, so it wasn't such a far fetched idea that Troy came here to learn how to be one.

He could just ask. "Where are you from?"

Looking up, Troy smiled at the attempt at small talk. "Out west, a small town."

"I bet you were quite the small-town hero," Levi replied, he couldn't help it.

"What?" Troy replied, almost choking on his water.

"You know, football star and all that?" Levi had crossed his arms, and was now leaning back smugly in his chair. "You look like a golden boy," Before the young man could answer, Levi tilted his head and asked, "How old are you?"

"Twenty-one," Troy replied, setting his glass down.

"I see," Seven years younger. Still, that seemed a little old to not know how to be a superhero. This boy flinched every time Levi even said the word 'hero', something he should been able to hide years ago.

Before Levi could continue the conversation, they heard a crash, followed by several screams outside of the building. Scrambling up, Troy raced out of the restaurant, a quick "stay here," thrown over his shoulder.

There was no way in hell Levi was going to miss this, if indeed Troy was about to commit some heroic act. He launched out his chair, and followed the young man outside of the shop. Standing on the sidewalk, Troy was motionless as Levi walked up to him.

A man was holding a gun to some woman's throat, standing in the middle of a crowded street. Cars had swerved to avoid them, crashing into each other as the man ranted crazily, dragging the woman around with him.

Turning to look at Troy, Levi realized that the young man had no idea what to do. The color had drained from his face, his eyes were wide. He snapped out of it when the woman screamed again.

"He's going to shoot her, you know," Levi said, watching with some disappointment as all Troy did was pull out a cellphone, and start punching numbers. Maybe the villain had been imagining things when he decided Troy was a superhero?

The young man ignored him as he brought the phone to his ear, "I'm at twenty-three East street!" he yelled into the phone, "There's a guy here with a a gun pointed at someone!"

Levi narrowed his eyes. Who was Troy calling? Another hero? There wouldn't be time for that. He frowned disdainfully as the woman screamed again.

"Kraken is going to kill me," he muttered as he stepped down from the sidewalk, and walked towards the insane man.

"Levi!" he heard Troy yell, "What the fuck are you doing?"

Ignoring the yells, Leviathan walked closer to the man, who swung around and started screaming for him to back off. Widening his eyes, Levi used a power that he avoided at all costs. Kraken called it Serpent's Eye, and thought it was Levi's best power in his entire arsenal. Leviathan respectfully disagreed.

The man's eyes became blank, and suddenly he released the woman, and swung the gun at Leviathan. "I'll kill you," the man said with slurred words, as if drugged. Leviathan smirked, and began to walk towards the man. Suddenly, he faltered as his energy quickly depleted. The longer he kept the mad man under his control, the more likely it was that he would simply faint right in front of everyone.

Darkness started to edge around his vision. "Fuck," he said, as he dropped the control, trying to cling on to consciousness. As he stumbled, he heard a shot go off, and then his vision went black.

'''''''

The smell of curry was the first thing to enter his mind. Opening his eyes, Levi realized he was lying on the floor of the Indian restaurant.

"Mr. Mender!"

Groaning, Levi sat up, only to wobble slightly from dizziness. He flinched when he felt a reassuring hand press against his back, and turned to see Troy sitting next to him. "You were out for like ten minutes," the young man said with a smile. "You shouldn't act like a hero if you're just going to faint when a gun's pointed at you."

Levi stared at him. "What happened?"

"Your friend saved you!" the waiter cut in, "The police were coming, but the man was going to shoot you!" He leaned down and clapped Troy on the back, "This guy knocked the gun out of that man's hands, and then caught you! All in the blink of an eye!"

Fine, so basically Levi was the one who saved the woman, but Troy was the hero?

Did it even matter?

'Get ahold of yourself,' Levi thought, 'You're supposed to be a supervillian.'

"You're really light-" Troy began to say, only to be cut off when the door of the restaurant crashed open.

"Levi?"

Sighing, Levi turned back, and stared at the ground, unable to look at his brother. He heard Kraken stomp over to him, and grimaced as his brother gripped on to his arm and jerked him to his feet.

"Hey!" Troy said, getting up, "What do you think you're doing?" He grabbed on to Levi's other wrist, and pulled him closer. Kraken turned to stare at Troy, as if noticing him for the first time.

"Let go of him," Kraken growled. Although he was fully human in appearance, even Levi had to admit that his brother was intimidating. Surprisingly, Troy did not let go.

"Hey, Levi, do you know this guy?" he asked.

Kraken turned to stare at Levi incredulously. "A friend of yours?" he asked.

"Troy, you can let go," he said, jerking his hand away from the hero. "This is my… friend, Ken."

"Ken?" Troy replied, "Friend?" He stared dubiously at Kraken's vice-like grip on Levi's wrist.

Kraken and Levi had made the decision years ago to not live their human lives as brothers. It was easier to keep a cover story that way, since they looked nothing alike.

"Right," Levi said.

"Levi," Kraken growled, "It's time to go home,"

Troy's eyes widened. "You live together?"

Not getting a chance to answer him, Levi was dragged from the restaurant, and followed Kraken obediently down the street. "What was that?" he heard his brother say. How could Levi explain this? Better yet, how did Kraken know where he was?

"It was nothing."

Kraken stopped short, and turned on Levi. "Nothing?" he asked menacingly, "You saved a human."

Ah, so he knew about that.

"Not to mention," Kraken continued, "You used a power you hate to do so." He jerked Levi closer so that their faces were inches apart. "That seems mighty unselfish, brother."

Levi stared at him quietly. "I won't do it again,"

Snorting, Kraken turned and continued to drag Levi down the street. "I swear," he said, "It's like you don't even want to be a supervillian,"

'''''''''''''''

"What now?"

Leviathan glared at his idiot brother, arms crossed, as a piercing siren alerted anyone in a five-block radius that they had broken into a bank. Kraken, of course, had simply crashed through the security system, tripping every defense mechanism in the building.

"We take the money," Kraken snapped back at him as he began stuffing stacks of bills into his sack. Levi sighed, and joined his brother.

They paused when the lights flickered, and static seemed to slice through the air with a tingling sensation. "Fantastic," Leviathan drawled. They both dodged away in time as a shot of electricity exploded where they had been standing only moments prior.

"You two are back at it so soon?" They heard the arrogant voice of Volt say. "Have you ever thought of taking a vacation?"

"Evil never sleeps," Kraken growled. Levi rolled his eyes as he heard Volt laugh in the darkness. Why did his brother have to be so embarrassingly cheesy?

He didn't have time to ponder this as Kraken suddenly rushed forward, and crashed into Volt at high velocity. Just as Leviathan made his way to help his brother, he felt a staggering force impact against his stomach.

Falling to the ground, winded, he looked up to see a young hero standing over him.

"Hello," the masked young man said, "My name is Triton, and I'll be beating you to a pulp today."

Well, fuck. It had to be Troy.


	3. Volume 3!

Volume 3!

Leviathan heard the cement where his head had been crack not a millisecond after he jumped out of the way of Triton's spear.

"Come here little fish," the superhero taunted, stalking towards Leviathan after pulling his spear out the broken concrete. His weapon, a sparkling, golden staff with a nasty spear which arched in a curve, was clasped in his large hand. Pulling his arm back, he again took aim for Leviathan. "I want to serve you for dinner,"

"How dare you speak to me that way!" Leviathan hissed.

He dodged another jab from the spear, and circled around Triton. What would he do? It was definitely Troy under that mask, the young man he had taught how to decorate book displays only a few hours before. Should he kill him anyway?

Laughing, Triton stepped closer to him. "Why shouldn't I?" he said, "I heard you're the worst super-villain in all of Capitalia." He stopped, and flashed a megawatt smile. "Not even the humans are afraid of you."

That little punk.

Just as he was about lunge at Triton, there was a loud flash. Then, Leviathan's cold blood ran colder when he heard his brother scream in pain. Turning immediately, he sprinted towards the yelling, and found Kraken on his knees, Volt's hand wrapped tightly around his throat.

Leviathan pulled out Sea Fang, the saber passed down through generations of Leviathans, and rushed at Volt, only to find his way blocked as Triton appeared before him, the staff of the superhero's spear clashing against Sea Fang with a resonating clang.

"You do not want to stand in my way, young man." Leviathan hissed. Triton smirked, and pressed harder against Leviathan's blade.

Enough of this. With faster-than-the-speed-of-light accuracy, Leviathan slashed at Triton with his free hand, his sharp nails leaving a bloody streak under the hero's eye mask. Distracted, Triton could barely fend off the flurry of jabs from Sea Fang that followed. With a finishing blow, Leviathan sent the young superhero flying into the wall.

Not bothering to see what happened to Triton, Leviathan turned and rushed towards his brother, who was clawing at Volt's hand, his lips turning blue.

"Not so fast," Volt said, pointing his finger at Leviathan, a small ball of electricity growing at it's tip.

"You'll kill him," Leviathan breathed, staring, wide-eyed, at his brother.

"Isn't that the point?" Volt said, smiling. He lessoned his grip on Kraken's neck, allowing for some air to pass through the villain's throat. "But, maybe I'll let him live. If you do something for me, Leviathan."

Kraken wheezed his disapproval, but Leviathan ignored him. "What?"

Lifting his arm up, so that Kraken had to get to his feet, Volt dragged the villain towards Leviathan. "Take this piece of shit, and leave Capitalia."

Leviathan had a better idea. Backing up to the place where Triton had hit the wall, he picked up the woozy superhero, and placed Sea Fang against Triton's throat. "Or," Leviathan said, "I could refrain from slashing your buddy's throat, and you'll let go of my brother."

"Don't do it," Triton said.

Leviathan sighed. Heroes, they're always so… heroic. He pressed the blade a little harder, just about to break skin. Grimacing, Triton shifted as he tried to struggle out of Leviathan's grasp. "Why did you even bring this rookie?" Leviathan said, looking up at Volt.

Volt didn't answer as he considered the position Triton was in. "Don't get too cocky, Leviathan," he said finally, "It won't be too good for your dear brother over here." He squeezed tighter on Kraken's throat for added effect, causing the villain to gag.

"Watch it!" Leviathan said, losing control of his blade. Hearing a gurgle of pain, he looked down to see a line of blood dripping down Sea Fang. He had accidentally cut Triton.

Static pierced the air again, crackling through the empty bank. Turning his gaze back to Volt, Leviathan almost flinched from the unbridled anger in the superhero's eyes. "Fine," Volt said, "At the same time?"

Leviathan nodded, and held up a hand. Counting down from three on his fingers, he shoved Triton away from himself just as Volt pushed Kraken towards him. Grabbing his brother's hand before Kraken could do anything stupid, he dragged him towards the exit of the bank.

"We have to kill them!" Kraken roared, but Leviathan ignored him.

Once they were out on the street, the two super-villains began running at breakneck speed. "We should wait in the bay for things to die down," Leviathan yelled at his brother as buildings zipped by. Going to the sea would be the only way to shake Volt.

When they reached the port, both dived in with inherent gracefulness. Leviathan let out a sigh as the frigid water ran over his skin. It was like coming home. They swan down into the depths for several minutes, and then floated in the dark as Kraken recovered.

'You're going to get yourself killed," Leviathan said to him telepathically, looking over at his brother through the water.

'At least I'm not always running away with my tail between my legs,' Kraken replied.

Leviathan's jaw sat rigid as he ignored his brother's comment. The idiot was always one false move from getting them both massacred by Volt, and now they had Triton to contend with as well, apparently.

Triton… a.k.a Troy.

What were the Gods thinking when they had Leviathan run into the young man before meeting his superhero alter-ego? Were they testing Leviathan's penchant for evil? It would be so easy to kill the unsuspecting Troy… Leviathan had the obvious advantage, his villain persona still being a secret.

'What are you thinking about?'

Kraken was staring at him through the dark. He obviously felt bad about practically calling Leviathan a coward, but was too proud to admit it.

'What do I need to do to gain your respect?' Leviathan said. 'Do I need an arch-nemesis like you have with Volt?'

Kraken laughed. "You? Getting an arch-nemesis?" He shook his head. 'Levi, you're much better off as a side-kick.'

'What if my arch-nemesis is a sidekick?' Leviathan replied.

'That would just be sad.'

'Kraken!' Leviathan said, his voice rising slightly, 'I'm serious.'

'You're talking about that kid with Volt, aren't you?' Kraken said.

'Yes.'

That could work, right? He wouldn't have the obligation to kill Troy for awhile, since the arch-nemesis relationship is supposed to last through a few confrontations. He wasn't ready to be a murderer, not yet.

Kraken was staring at him. 'Did that kid get you to, or something?'

'No,' Leviathan replied, 'He just seems like a good… beginner arch-nemesis.'

Snorting, Kraken smirked at Leviathan. 'Like villain training wheels?'

…Asshole.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Levi paused at the door of the employee break room when he saw Troy sitting at one of the crappy fold-out tables. A horde of female employees were buzzing around him, screeching concerned words.

"How did this happen!" one breathed, putting a hand over her mouth. She was staring at a long cut slashing across Troy's cheek. Leviathan couldn't help but admire his handy work, it was a nice, clean cut.

"Just an uppity kitten," Troy replied with his charming smile. "Don't worry, with a little discipline, he'll be quite tame."

They all glanced over when Levi snorted. "It kind of looks like he has the upper hand," he said, unable to resist.

Laughing, Troy leaned forward. "I'm just letting him think he does," he said, winking. "I'll have the little cutie under my thumb in no time."

"Right," Leviathan said, masking a snarl. Cutie? Who did this punk think he was? Turning away from the gaggle of females preening over Troy, Levi stuffed his bag into his assigned locker, and clipped on his name tag. Maybe he could find it in himself to kill this idiot after all.

Out on the floor, he dodged several customers as he made his way to the attached coffee shop. He still had ten minutes until his shift, leaving just enough time for coffee and the newspaper. Sitting down after getting his drink, he flipped open the paper to find Volt's arrogant face flashing up at him.

'THERE'S A NEW HERO IN TOWN!' the headline read, referring to Triton, who was standing next to Volt. The article listed his recent accomplishments, ending with the stunning defeat of the bumbling villains Kraken and Leviathan.

"Great," Levi muttered, as he glanced at the chart detailing just how much of a failure he and his brother were. Twenty attempted bank heists in the past year, with not a single triumph. 'Don't quit your day job,' the article mocked. "Don't worry," Levi said, 'I won't.'

'Won't what?' he heard. He looked up to see Troy standing over him. The young superhero pulled out the chair across from Levi and sat down without an invitation.

"Uh," Levi replied, "I won't…" he trailed off, not even bothering to cover.

Troy stared at him, waiting for the villain to finish his sentence. When he realized that Levi wasn't going to continue, he let out a small laugh. "You really don't like small talk, huh?"

Levi shrugged, taking a sip of his latte.

"Right…" Troy said, tapping his finger on the table. "So, you follow superhero stories?" He was gesturing at the story.

"You could say I'm a fan," Leviathan replied.

"What do you think of this new guy?" Troy pushed, pointing at the picture of himself.

"Arrogant."

Troy sat up, taken aback. "Oh?" He sounded disappointed.

"I much prefer Volt," Levi said, deciding to have a little fun with the kid. "He just seems so… valiant."

"Levi," Troy replied, "I never thought I would hear you say the word valiant,"

Taking another sip, Levi quirked his eyebrow. "Well," he said, "I guess Volt just brings it out of me."

Troy pouted at him, in the most ridiculous fashion. Rolling his eyes, Levi set his cup down and folded up the paper. With a sigh, he tilted his head to the side. "I take it you're a Triton fan? How is that possible? He's brand new."

"He'll get better," Troy said, hunching over the table. He considered Levi for a moment, as if he were debating saying something. "About yesterday-"

"Time to work," Levi cut in, standing up. Walking away from the young man without waiting for a response, he went to hide in the stacks. He didn't know what Troy wanted to talk about, but if it had anything to do with the day before, than it was probably best to avoid the superhero.

As he stood in between Fiction and Art, he heard a couple of the female employees giggling an aisle over. "Do you think he has a girlfriend?"

"I don't know, but do you really believe a cat did that to his face?" a more sensible girl, in Levi's opinion, said.

"Who cares!" the other girl said, "If he's a bad boy, than he's a bad boy with a job in a bookstore! How sexy is that?" They both erupted in giggles again, causing Levi to roll his eyes.

"Bad boy, huh?" he heard against his ear.

He had been so distracted by the girls, that he failed to notice when Troy had come up behind him, and was now hulking over Levi's shoulder, one hand placed over him, against the stacks. Before he could duck under the arm and move away, Troy 'shhhshed' in his ear, causing a slight tuft of breath to blow against Leviathan's pale skin.

"I mean," one girl continued, "He's just so tall, and those blue eyes?" She let out an exaggerated sigh.

Levi could feel the heat of Troy's body radiate against his back, and tried to ignore how it warmed his cold blood. Suddenly, something caught his attention.

"You smell like the sea," he whispered.

He saw Troy's hand grip the stacks a bit more tightly, and immediately regretted his words. What a stupid thing to say.

"So do you," Troy replied, almost inaudibly.

Without thinking, Levi elbowed Troy in the stomach, thankfully remembering to hold back his strength just in time. It felt like elbowing rock. Ducking away from the hero, he practically skittered away towards the exit of the store.

He came to a full stop when he saw who was standing at the entrance. Wearing a crisp sport jacket, long hair slicked back, Kraken looked almost presentable. And suddenly… he seemed like the most comforting sight in the world.

Rushing forward, Leviathan wrapped his arms around Kraken without thinking, pushing his face into his brother's chest. "Mmmph," he murmured. His body drew in the icy coolness of Kraken's temperature, chilling his own blood down.

"What are you doing?" Kraken said with some skepticism, but allowed Levi to continue hugging him.

When Levi didn't answer, Kraken let out a sigh, and patted his brother on the head. "I stopped by to say sorry, and ask if you wanted to have lunch together later.'

"He's having lunch with me,"

Levi stiffened, recognizing Troy's tone. His brother sensed his discomfort, and placed an arm around his waist, holding him in tight. "Excuse me?" Kraken said, his voice dangerously low.

"Who are you, anyway?" Troy continued, "Are you really just his roommate?"

Before Kraken could leap at the kid, Levi pushed away from his brother. "It's alright," he said up to Kraken. "We can have dinner later."

Kraken stared at him for several moments, and then shrugged. "Whatever you say, kid." He turned to walk away, but before leaving the store, he pointed at Troy. "Hey," he growled, "I'm watching you."

Levi watched him walk down the street before turning on Troy. "What the hell was that about?" he snarled, crossing his arms. "I never said I was having lunch with you."

Troy was staring at him angrily. "What are you doing with that guy?"

Blinking, Levi stared at him with confusion. "With… what?"

"Look," Troy continued, "I may not know how it is for you people, but no one should have to deal with abuse in their relationship."

Levi's mouth clenched, if only to keep from laughing. Kraken and he? In a relationship? "You people?" he asked, when he was able to tamp down his mirth at the idea of he and his brother in an incestuous relationship.

"You know," Troy replied, "The.. The homosexuals."

"Right," Levi replied, crossing his arms with amusement. "So what makes you think the relationship is abusive?"

"The way he dragged you around yesterday, the bruise on your neck, him apologizing for whatever today."

Levi unconsciously brought his hand up to his neck. Somehow, yesterday, he must have been hit by something, which caused a bruise. "None of that proves anything," he said, stuffing his hand in his pocket.

"That's what all abuse victims say," Troy growled.

Levi considered him for a moment, and shrugged. "He's not my type anyway," Blood type, maybe. Smiling he walked over to Troy, and stood next to the young superhero, surveying the store. "My type would be…"

He glanced at the entrance. "Him," he said, gesturing at a tall, well-dressed man in his thirties entering the store. "You know, mature."

"Uh," Troy replied awkwardly. Levi looked over at him.

"What?"

Before the young superhero could answer, the man they were discussing walked up to them, and clasped Troy on the shoulder. "How's the new job?" he said. Levi's eyes widened in embarrassment, and glanced down at the ground.

"Levi," Troy said, voice cracking. "This is my cousin, Vick."


	4. Volume 4!

Volume 4!

"Are you alright?"

Troy and Vick were staring at Levi, who was chuckling under his breath for no apparent reason. Well, not apparent to them, anyway.

It was just so perfect… and horrible. Vick? Vick?

Volt.

Volt was standing in front of him in a nice pair of slacks, and a spiffy new sports jacket. No where in sight were the spandex, the pretentious thunderbolt symbol on his chest, or the electrified hair. He looked like he just stepped out of a L.L. Bean catalog, for crissakes. "Your… cousin?" Levi managed to say.

Vick turned to Troy, and nodded his head towards Levi. "This must be the weirdo you were talking about."

That got Levi to stop laughing. Glaring up at Troy, he crossed his arms. "Weirdo?" he asked with consternation. Troy was shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other as the two men stared at him as they waited for a reply. Meanwhile, costumers milled around them, oblivious to the strange meeting.

Levi could barely believe it himself. Standing before him was his brother's arch-nemesis. In fact, they could have passed each other on the street! Should Levi call his brother on the phone, and admit that he knew the human alters of both Triton and Volt?

Something stopped him. Maybe it was the thought of his brother storming into the book store, Levi's only place of sanctuary, and destroying everything in sight. Or, maybe it was because Levi didn't really believe his brother could beat Volt, even with the advantage of surprise.

"Ah," Vick said, with a charmingly abashed smile. "It probably wasn't you," He held out a hand for Levi to shake, his eyebrows raising with curiosity when Levi hesitated. Would Volt be able to sense him if they touched? When the moment extended too long, Levi decided he would have to risk it, and took the hand.

"Perhaps not," Levi replied, his voice involuntarily cold. He was staring into Vick's eyes, amazed that he and the superhero were only inches apart, and not at each other's throats. "Tell me, Vick," he said with a tight smile, "What is it that you do… for a living?"

"Not much," the hero replied, his eyes practically twinkling. "I inherited quite a bit from my parents." When Levi didn't respond to this, Vick laughed. "Don't think I'm some lazy bum though!" he said, "I do a lot of… charity work." His hand still clasped Levi's, warming the cold blood running through the villain's veins.

"That's enough," Troy cut in suddenly, practically karate chopping their hands apart. "You don't want people to think the the wrong thing."

"The wrong thing?" Vick replied, cocking his head in confusion.

"Troy is embarrassed because I said you were my type," Levi replied, unable to keep from smirking. If the young man was going to be a little shit, than Levi was going to have some fun with him. "Apparently he's an expert on 'homosexuals', as he says, because he thought my roommate was being abusive towards me."

Vick looked back and forth from Levi to Troy in amazement. "You what?" he asked his cousin.

"The asshole was ordering him around!" Troy replied, waving his hands around. "What was I supposed to think?"

"That it's not any of your business," Levi said under his breath, as he crossed his arms.

"Do you like him?" Vick asked Troy, a small smile playing on his lips.

After sputtering for a moment, Troy shook his head emphatically. "No!" he said, taking a step away from Levi as he said it. "I'm not gay!" He seemed stricken by the idea, which Levi found unexplainably annoying. What was wrong with being gay? "I just…" Troy continued to stutter, "He's like a girl, you know? He needed protection."

Oh, hell no. "Excuse me?" Levi drawled. No matter how many times he had talked himself down from executing this moron, Troy always found new and interesting ways for making the murder justified.

"Ah," Troy said, at a loss for words, "well," He nervously pulled his hand through his hair. "You're just… so slim?"

Levi frowned. He was aware of his physical shortcomings, Kraken had inherited all of the bulky genes. However, that didn't mean he wasn't strong, he was still a demigod, after all. "I suppose you call all men who are smaller than you girls?" he asked.

"No," Troy replied, "just you." He immediately cringed at how idiotic that sounded, and shook his head. "Look, I'm sorry, you're obviously not a girl."

"Obviously," Vick cut in, not used to being ignored. He wrapped a well-muscled arm around Levi, causing the villain to shrink back slightly. "So," Vick asked, with a wink. "I'm your type, huh?" His face was inches away from Levi's ear. It would take only a millisecond to reach over and scratch his eyes out. Blinding Vick would be the best tactic to defeating him in battle…

What would Kraken say if Levi were to kill Volt? His older brother had been battling with the superhero for years, and was never able to get the upper hand. Respect was only an inch away…

"Levi?"

Dragged back to reality, Levi realized that Vick was still attached to him, waiting for an answer. "What is it that you like about me?" the hero asked, his tone smug. Before Levi could answer, Vick was detached from his shoulder with a sudden shove. Troy had pushed him away from the villain, his expression tight.

"Alright, alright," Vick said, holding his hands up. "Kind of possessive, aren't we, cousin?"

Troy ignored this. "We need to work," he said, nodding towards the door. "I'll meet up with you later." Vick took the hint, and with a mock salute to Levi, he spun on his heels and headed towards the door. When he was safely out on the sidewalk, Troy turned to Levi, and grabbed his arm.

"Why do you let men hang on to you like that?" he asked.

Levi searched the hero's earnest face, incredulous that Troy was being serious. "Like this?" he asked, lifting his wrist, with Troy's hand firmly attached. He waved his arm around for extra measure, demonstrating that the hero would not let go.

"No," Troy replied, as if he were stating the obvious. "I'm not like them, I'm watching out for…" he trailed off.

"What, my honor?" Levi snapped, his annoyance growing by the second.

"Basically!" Troy said, his voice growing louder. "It's not like I want to fuck you!" They both grimaced at the cuss word as several patrons looked their way. Troy leaned in, quieting his voice. "It's not like I'm trying to fuck you," he repeated.

Levi's mouth was hanging open. How did he wind up in this mess? One moment he was having an abnormally nice discussion with his brother about lunch, and now this moronic brat was clawing on to his arm, acting as if he were some white knight, and Levi was a virgin maiden.

"Look," Troy continued, trying to make his tone sound reasonable. "I've read how… homosexuals tend to be more, I don't know, promiscuous, and I think… well, you should really be more cautious."

"What. Are. You. Talking. About?" Levi hissed, trying to jerk his arm out of Troy's grasp. "Have you lost your god-damn mind?"

"I just know how guys are!" Troy replied, insisting on taking Levi down the road to crazy-town. "They only want one thing,"

Levi bit his lip to keep from screaming. "I am a guy," he said, pointing towards his chest. It was decided, he was going to maim Triton the next time they had a showdown. What did Troy think he was doing? The man was certainly taking the 'hero' thing too far.

"Hello?" came an alarmingly cheerful, yet timid voice. "Levi? Troy?" It was the manager, staring at them with obvious confusion. "We've had several complaints at the counter…" Levi quickly clawed Troy's grip off of his wrist, and turned to the manager with the most apologetic look that he could summon, which wasn't much of one at all.

"My apologies," he said, "We were… having a disagreement."

"Yes, well," the manager replied, eyeing Levi's twitching eyebrow, "I know that he's new, but I would expect you, Levi, of all people, to show some decorum."

"It's my fault," Troy cut in, nudging in front of Levi. "I made him angry." Once again, with that achingly obnoxious earnest expression. Levi rolled his eyes as the manager tittered appreciatively, placing a hand on Troy's buff arm.

"Oh, that's all right," she said with an incandescent smile. "I'm sure that the two of you can work your differences out,"

Troy flashed his own charming smile, "Of course," he said, his eyes sparkling. "I'm so glad you understand, manager."

When she walked away, Levi took the moment to speed walk as fast as he could in the opposite direction. He would hide somewhere between History and Religion until the end of his shift, and then he would book it out of the store. No matter how frustrating living with Kraken had ever been, nothing seemed more peaceful than going home and arguing with his brother about which bank to hit up next.

''''

"We've already tried the Credit Union on fifth," Kraken said irritably as he clicked through the hundreds of television channels. He was stretched out on his tattered Lay-Z-Boy, wearing nothing but a tattered wife-beater and a pair of boxer shorts.

"We've tried all of them," Leviathan grumbled, as he thumbed through the phone book. "We're on a second round, remember?"

Kraken 'hrrumphed' from his chair in answer, and continued to watch the television as Leviathan searched for more banks. They sat like this for several minutes, until Kraken twisted around in his chair, and looked over the side at Leviathan. "Hey," he said.

"What?" Leviathan replied after a pause.

"What was that about at the bookstore today?"

Leviathan's hand clenched on the page he was turning for a moment, and then eased up. Could he just play dumb, and Kraken would let it go? Probably not. "It was nothing," he said finally, resuming what he was doing.

"Like hell it was," Kraken replied, sitting up on his knees so that he facing backwards on the chair, elbows resting on the head. "That dickweed looked like he wanted to throw a punch." He drew in a long chug from a can of beer, and continued his thought. "Did you do something to piss him off?"

"It wasn't me that he was going to punch," Levi replied, refusing to look at his brother.

"Oh, really?" Kraken said, smiling, "He wanted to take me on?" He seemed amused by the prospect for a moment, until a through struck his incredibly thick skull. "Why?" he asked, his tone growing serious.

"He thought you were my abusive boyfriend," Levi said, hating the words as they came out of his mouth.

There was a loud burp from the other end of the room as Kraken took another drag of his beer. "You, and me? How fucked up would that be, right?"

Levi took in the sight of his brother smashing the empty beer can against his forehead. "Very," he replied.

"Little punk," Kraken sighed as he settled back down into his lounger. "If you were my old lady, there's no way he'd able to stop me from doing anything." He jerked up in surprise when the phonebook went flying by his head, and smashed into the TV. "Hey!" he yelled, "Why the TV?"

"I missed," Levi replied. He stood up and walked around the chair so that Kraken was facing him. "I am not a woman," he said, glaring at his older brother. Kraken leaned back in the chair with a confused expression on his face.

"I know…" he said, unsure of where Levi was going with his pronouncement.

"So," Levi said, advancing on Kraken menacingly, "I would not be your old lady,"

Kraken shifted uncomfortably. "Ok, ok," he said. "What's the big deal?"

Sighing, Levi shook his head and returned to the kitchen table. His brother was too stupid to know he had insulted Levi's manhood. When he realized that the phonebook was on the other side of the room, a sudden surge of annoyance shot through his veins. "Fuck," he breathed, slapping his fist down on the table. He needed to get out of there.

Without giving Kraken an explanation of where he was going, Levi shot out through the door, and hoofed it down the street to his bus stop. He didn't usually like going back into town after work, but there was nothing in their neighborhood to do. Maybe he would relax at a coffee shop, or go back to the book store and actually browse instead of work.

Getting on the bus, he was relieved to find it mostly empty. As he took a seat at the back, he wondered why Kraken was being so lazy. Usually it was his older brother who was driving the search to find a new hit, but all he had done since Levi returned from work was sit in his disgusting lounger.

Levi sat in silence, pondering his brother's change in attitude as the buildings rushed by. So lost in his thoughts, he barely registered when the bus came to a complete stop, and suddenly a loud crunching noise rang out down the aisle. Alarmed, Levi looked up to see the roof of the bus caving in. "What in the…" he began to say, when he felt the bus lift off the ground.

He looked out the window, and heaved a tired sigh. Wrapped around the width of the bus, was a giant, purple claw, attached to an even larger, purple arm. Standing up, he calmly walked down the aisle, and kicked open the door of the bus. "Leave," he roared at the driver, who was only happy to oblige. The rest of the passengers skidded out just as the bus went airborne, lifting up towards the sky.

When a pair of yellow eyes came into view, Levi marched up to the window, and poked the giant, purple snout facing him. "Put me down, Ragerous," he said.

'Leviathan?' replied the monster, using telepathy. 'Where's your brother?'

"I'm Levi right now," Levi replied, "Kraken's at home."

Ragerous Rex was one of the few villains in Capitalia that the sea demigod brothers were friendly with. He was also the only one who knew their human alters. Unlike Leviathan and Kraken, he rarely had a purpose in mind when he came out to play. Ragerous just liked to cause anarchy.

"Can you do me a favor?"

Levi groaned, and checked his watch. "What?"

"Let me carry you around a bit, and just like… scream and shit."

Levi stared at the yellow eyes dubiously. This was not what he had planned to do with his evening. "Rage…" he said, ready to back out. He felt the bus shake slightly.

"Don't forget, I caused a distraction for you two dolts during that one heist."

Rolling his eyes, Levi sighed in acquiescence and climbed out the top of the bus. "Make it short," he growled as Ragerous wrapped his other hand around his body. Dropping the bus with a loud crash, Ragerous started back down the street with a loud roar, shaking the buildings around him.

"Scream!" he said, as he swung his fist up and down.

Levi clenched his jaw for a moment, and then bit the bullet. "Someone!" he yelled out as loud as he could, "Anyone! Help me!" He heard a low chuckle in the bottom of Ragerous' throat, and blushed. Losing the last of his dignity, he let out a yell that reached down to the streets. "Help!"

Suddenly, there was a crack in the air as something whizzed by Levi. "Of all the god damn heroes," he grumbled, as a thunderbolt crashed down feet away from where Ragerous was clutching him.

"Oh my god," said someone from behind him.

Levi's stomach dropped when he recognized the voice, and turned to see Triton floating midair, staring at him with wide eyes. "Le-" Triton began to say, but caught himself. "You," he continued, "Don't worry, I'll save you."

'That's cute,' Ragerous said, making Levi look up at him. 'Is he new?'

Before Levi could answer him, there was a sharp screech through his mind, and Levi looked over to see that Triton had sunk his spear into Ragerous' arm. Meanwhile, Volt had reappeared, throwing thunderbolts towards the monster's throat.

Ragerous was already trembling in pain, as he rocked back and forth. 'Shit,' he said, 'When did Volt get a sidekick?'

Levi looked up at his friend, and saw that the villain was clearly in danger. "Rage," he said, "Drop me,"

"What?" the monster replied, "You won't be able to save yourself without revealing your alter."

"Trust me," Levi replied, "You'll have a better chance at getting away from only one of them,"

Without another word, he felt the grip around his body loosen, and suddenly he was plummeting towards the earth. His inherent instinct was to change into his alter, but Leviathan could not come out to play, unless he wanted the entire world to know who he was.

None of that mattered. Almost as soon as he was dropped, he was then caught. Landing on a pair of muscular, sturdy arms, he looked up to see Triton's face looming over him. The hero was looking out with determination as they flew away from Ragerous, towards an office building in the distance. "Put your arm around my neck," he said, without looking at Levi. The villain complied.

When they reached the building, Triton landed down on the roof with surprising grace. However, he did not drop Levi to the ground as expected. Still holding the villain in his arms, Triton drew in a long breath, as if he was trying to contain his anger. "What were you doing?" he said, finally.

He staring at Levi with fierce seriousness. Wondering if he should somehow subtly remind Triton that he wasn't supposed to personally know Levi, the villain decided to play dumb instead. "What?" Levi breathed, trying to sound nervous, which was virtually impossible. His words came out sounding annoyed more than anything else.

The hero's grip on his body tightened. "Do you know how much danger you were in?" he asked.

This was ridiculous. "It's not like I wanted to be kidnapped by a monster!" Levi snarled, almost indignant. Who did this kid think he was? There he was, in a hero's pose, cape swirling in the wind, while Levi remained nestled in his arms.

"Set him down, Triton," Volt had arrived, landing before them. He was watching his sidekick with curiosity, having already recognized Levi from the bookstore.

"Volt…" Levi breathed, unable to stop a surge of fear through his veins. He was at his weakest, in human form, and there was Volt, the only hero who could possibly kill him and Kraken. The situation had certainly reversed from earlier that day.

Triton had heard Levi whisper Volt's name, and held the villain closer to his broad chest. "I was the one who saved you," he growled. Levi looked up at Triton, and realized that his arms were still wrapped around Triton's neck. He could feel the warmth from the hero's skin seeping into him. Their faces were only inches apart.

"Triton," Volt said, this time more forcefully. "Set him down."

"No!" Triton said suddenly, causing Levi to flinch. "He can't protect himself out here… it's not safe for him in the real world.. I, I need to take him back to headquarters with us."

Volt's voice lowered, but remained calm. "Triton," he said, raising a palm. "It's ok, he's fine now."

"I want to take him," Triton said, stepping back from Volt.

"That's kidnapping!" Volt said, calm facade breaking, "You're supposed to be a superhero, goddamit!"

This seemed to shake Triton of his reverie. Loosening his grip, he allowed Levi to set his feet on the ground. "Right," he said, dejected. "Fine."

What the fuck was this? Was Triton a child? Levi wanted to smack him in the face, but refrained. He had to keep playing the part of scared human. Taking a step away from the hero, he realized that Triton had kept a strong grip on his wrist.

"Go," Triton said to Volt, "I'll catch up in a moment." With a confirming nod, Volt launched off of the roof with a loud crack, and flew quickly out of sight. Standing silently for a moment, Levi wondered what the hell would happen next. He looked over to see Triton appraising him quietly.

"I'm sorry,"

Well, he wasn't expecting that. "What?" he replied.

Triton sighed. "I'm new to this whole superhero thing," he said, running his hand through his hair.

Levi snorted. What kind of excuse was that? He never kidnapped anyone, and he was a supervillain! He looked up to see Triton smiling at him. "What?" Levi snarled.

"I'm glad to see that you can keep your prickly attitude, even when being thrown around by a giant, purple dinosaur."

This boy was a moron, and it was time for Levi to remind him of that. "Do I know you?" he asked, with a raised eyebrow. Triton shifted uncomfortably, a blush blooming across his cheeks.

"No," he said. "You don't." He sighed, and then flashed his trademark grin at Levi. "Next time, don't call for help from just anyone, call my name." He stepped towards Levi suddenly, and combed his fingers through the villain's dark tresses, ending at the back of Levi's neck. Pulling him in closer, Triton pressed his lips against Levi's, rejecting the villain's attempt at backing away.

He didn't force entry with his tongue, but made sure to lightly nibble on Levi's bottom lip. When he pulled his head back, he smirked at Levi's shocked expression. "Don't call for the police, don't call for Volt," he said, and then placed a light kiss on Levi's forehead.

"Call for me."

''''

Kraken jerked awake when the front door crashed open, and Leviathan came storming inside. "Get up!" Levi yelled at his brother, "We're villains, aren't we? Let's do some villainy!"

The older brother watched as Levi marched to where the phonebook had landed, and started flipping through it, mumbling 'bastard' under his breath. Was Kraken the bastard? "Levi," he said, almost cautious, "I thought you might want a break from that?"

Levi glared up at him. "A break?" he hissed, "Why would I want a break?"

He shoved the book under Kraken's nose, pointing at the name of the city's largest bank. "We're hitting here, and we're doing it tomorrow," he said, waiting for Kraken to challenge him. When there was no protest, Levi slammed the book back down on the ground, and stalked to his room, slamming the door behind him.

Kraken didn't know what had gotten into his brother, but he liked it.


	5. Volume 5!

Volume 5!

"Is she crying? Tell her to shut up,"

Kraken looked over at his brother. "Why do I have to tell her? You do it."

Glancing down at the sniffling woman huddling on the floor, Leviathan shifted from one foot to the other. "Um," he said with a slight garble. He cleared his throat, and spoke again. "Miss? Please stop crying."

He heard his brother snort from across the bank.

"You need to stop crying," he repeated, with a firmer tone.

There was a shuffling sound, one of the other captives had sat up. "Excuse me?" the man, the bank manager, said, "She's pregnant…" His words trailed off pointedly, as if Leviathan had severely disappointed the man. A general round of disgusted mumbling floated through the bank as the hostages complained about the duo keeping a pregnant woman trapped. Meanwhile, Kraken was laughing in his head.

"So?" Leviathan said, shutting his brother out of his thoughts as a slight blush threatened to creep up his cheeks. "Is she made of glass, then?"

At this, and old lady sat up, and pointed at Leviathan. "You should be ashamed, young man," she barked, "Aren't the rest of us enough for hostages?" There was a general murmur of agreement from the rest of the people crouched on the floor. Looking over at Kraken, he saw his brother staring at him, arms crossed, with an amused expression on his face.

"Fine!" he said, with what he hoped was an authoritative tone. "She may leave." When the woman didn't rise, Leviathan bent over with a sigh, and helped her to her feet. Gently walking her to the door, he pushed it open with his free hand, and held it as the woman stumbled outside. Turning around, he tossed a glare at the old lady, who was already hunched over obediently.

As he walked by her, he heard her mumbles, "Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Let's get this over with," he growled at Kraken, who shrugged.

"It's your ball game," Kraken said, "You take lead."

Leviathan nodded, and headed around behind the counter of the bank. Staring down at the row of computers, he paused for several seconds, and then looked back up at his brother.

"You have no idea what you're doing, do you?" Kraken asked.

Ignoring this, Leviathan pointed over at the bank manager who had admonished him earlier. "You!" he snarled, "Come over here, now!" He waited as the manager stood up, and scurried to the other side of the counter.

"Yes?" the man asked.

"How do we get to the money?" Leviathan said, nodding towards the screen.

"Well, it's not actually in the computer…" the man replied.

Leviathan stared at him, eyebrow twitching. "I know that," he said darkly. With a sigh, he crossed his arms, and looked down at the ground. "Just tell me how to get into the vault," he said, trying to contain his annoyance. The manager twiddled his thumbs for a moment, as if debating whether he could get away with not telling.

"You'll need the passcode," he said slowly.

"Well?" Leviathan replied, cocking his head to the side. Was this man being intentionally slow?

"Fine, fine," the manager breathed, reaching into his pocket. "You'll also need my ID card." He handed the piece of plastic over to Leviathan reluctantly, his fingers tugging on the card as the villain took it from him. He visibly deflated as Leviathan pushed pass him as he strode over to the vault.

Sliding the card through the reader, Leviathan nearly broke the gadget off the wall when he was met with a revolting 'beep!' and a red light. He jerked the card through the slot again, and resisted screaming with rage when the red light flashed again. "I think you have it the wron-" the manager started to say.

"Shut up," Leviathan cut him off, through gritted teeth. He turned the card around, and slid it through the reader a third time, ready to scratch his eyes out when the god forsaken thing beeped at him again.

"Maybe if I cou-" the manager said, stepping towards Leviathan. He stopped dead in his tracks when the villain threw him a piercing glare.

"You could just let me tear the whole wall down," Kraken said to him, still watching over the hostages.

"And alert the authorities?" Leviathan replied, "No, we're doing this my way, the smart way." When the slot refused to read for a fourth time, he let out a yell of frustration, and flicked the card across the room.

"Yeah, the smart way," Kraken said, his tone irritatingly smug in Leviathan's mind. However, before he could start throwing everything in sight at his brother, both villains looked at each other with alarm when they felt a small surge of static crackle through the air.

"He can't do anything," Leviathan said, "We have hostages," Kraken didn't look convinced as he walked to each of the glass windows of the bank, and looked out. There will still people milling about the street, unable to see what was happening behind the tinted glass.

Their plan had been quite simple: Walk into the bank, shut and lock the front doors, and then knock out the security guard. Getting everyone to kneel on the ground wasn't too hard with Kraken looming over them threateningly, but one of them must have managed to sneak a call out.

"Shit," Kraken said, slamming his hand against the window when he saw that people were being ushered away down the street by police. "They've made us,"

"I'm not leaving here without the money." Leviathan responded. Kraken looked over at him in surprise, and then smiled when he saw that Leviathan was pointing at the vault. Walking behind the counter, he joined his brother and stared at the metal door for several moments.

"Shouldn't be too hard," he said, and then thrust his fist against the solid vault, a loud clang ringing out when he made contact. Pulling his hand back, he smiled at Leviathan when a large dent was revealed. Their triumph was immediately tempered when the bank alarm sounded, shrieking incessantly.

"Go faster," Leviathan said. Kraken nodded, and continued to wail on the door, one punch after another. The metal was quickly caving in on itself, the hinges prying loose. They both stared for several seconds when the metal finally dropped backwards, revealing the orderly stacks of cash behind it. This was the farthest they had ever come.

Without wasting another moment, they stepped inside and started stuffing the bills into the large sacks they had brought with them. Leviathan had laughed when Kraken showed him the bags, asking "What, no giant dollar signs on the sides?", but they were as good as anything else.

"Come on," his brother said, grabbing Leviathan's arm. He stood up, and followed his brother out to the lobby, and towards the front doors. All they needed to do now was race towards home. Crashing through the glass without bothering to unlock the doors, both brothers blinked rapidly in the bright sunlight.

Suddenly, there was an impact in front of them. "Going somewhere, boys?"

Triton was standing before them, his cape waving in the wind, spear pointed directly at Leviathan's face. After a loud crack sounded through the air, the brothers knew that Volt was somewhere overhead. "Still got mama watching out for you, huh?" Kraken said, nodding up towards the sky.

Triton smiled. "Mama?" he asked, "You're one to talk. I hear that Leviathan always has to save your ass."

For some reason, Leviathan found Triton's easy use of his name annoying. Looking over at his brother, he nudged Kraken in the arm. "We can't fight with these bags," he said, "We have to run,"

"Hey!" Triton yelled, "What are you two doing?"

Before either party could say anything, there was a flash of static in the air, and then Volt landed roughly on the ground, beside Triton. "They're speaking telepathically," he said, "All monsters who can transform have the ability."

Monster? Leviathan turned his face towards Volt, smirking. He dropped the bag of cash on the ground, and pointed his hand towards the bay. Instantly, Sea Fang was summoned to his grip, glistening in the morning sun. He pointed the blade at Volt, beckoning him to come forward. He would show that pompous ass a monster.

Taking Leviathan up on the invitation, Volt rushed forward, fist raised. His punch landed on dead air when Kraken grabbed his brother by the waist, and jerked him out of the way. "Don't fight my battles for me," Kraken said, ruffling his brother's silky, black hair.

"Isn't that sweet?" Volt asked, as he righted himself. He turned to the pair of brothers, and crossed his arms. "Do either of you actually want to fight, or what?"

Kraken rushed him, and the two clashed together like football players, the earth reverberating from their impact. Looking around, Leviathan caught sight of Triton circling towards him. He backed away from his brother, and pointed Sea Fang towards Triton.

The kiss from the day before was still burning on his lips. A burning that ignited an anger that Leviathan had never felt before in his life.

If Kraken knew he let a superhero manhandle him…

"That's kind of a shrimpy blade," Triton taunted, edging closer towards Leviathan, breaking the villain from his thoughts.

"Size doesn't matter," Leviathan replied. "It's how you use it." With that, he lunged forward, reading to slash the hero's throat. However, his jab was blocked with a loud clang, as Triton's spear blocked his path. Before he could dodge, Triton's fist flew around the blades, hitting him squarely in the stomach, sending him flying several yards in the opposite direction.

Reeling from the impact, Leviathan staggered to his feet. Before he could recover, Triton was there again, slamming his fists down on Leviathan's back. The villain crashed to the ground, the wind knocked out of his powerful lungs.

He was hunched over on his knees, fists clenched as he tried to regain his breath. Expecting another hit at any moment, his vision going fuzzy. When did this punk get so good at fighting?

Suddenly, there was a tight grip around Leviathan's throat, and he was being lifted upwards. Triton stared up at him, his expression triumphant as he appraised the weakened villain in his grasp. Leviathan wheezed as he clasped his hands around Triton's wrist, wishing that he could claw the muscular hand away from his throat.

Opening his eyes, he found Triton staring at him with a curious expression, watching as Leviathan held on to his wrist with slender, pale fingers.

The grip around his throat loosened slightly, and Leviathan drew in a long breath of cold, miraculous air.

"Levi… athan…" Triton murmured, his blue eyes appraising every inch of Leviathan's body. The villain felt the blood drain from his face. Had he been found out? There was no possible way that Triton could figure it out… The hero was reaching forward towards Leviathan's face with his free hand, aiming for the metal mask covering the bottom half of Leviathan's face. He had to stop him.

Before Triton could grasp Leviathan's mask, Kraken appeared and grabbed his brother, knocking Triton's hold on loose. Flinging Leviathan over his shoulder, he swerved around and started to race down the street. Luckily, he had gotten the upper hand on Volt. Triton would have to stay behind to help him.

Kraken just hoped his brother was ok.

''''

"I'm just saying, you could try being a bit more friendly, Mr. Sourpuss."

Levi studiously ignored his manager as he thumbed through the new best seller they were setting up a display for. Outside, last minute shoppers stared forlornly at the "CLOSED" sign hanging in the window.

"It was ten minutes past nine," he said, "What was I supposed to do?"

The manager sighed, shaking her head. "Ring them up!" she said, "They had all the books they wanted, you could have given them a pass."

"That would have required me to unlock the cash register," Levi replied, setting the book down on the table. He nudged the life size cutout of the author several feet, frowned when he heard disapproving sounds from the manager, and pushed it back to its original place.

Sighing, the manager pushed him out the way, and started fiddling with the cutout. "Let me handle this," she said, "You can clock out early," Not needing to be told twice, Levi quickly made his way to the employee lounge, and gathered his things.

Outside, the night air was crisp. The events of the morning had disappeared with sun, and the city was calm again… if only for a small time. Levi bundled his scarf more tightly around his neck, and started towards the bus stop.

"Leviathan,"

Turning towards the origin of the voice, Levi let a small smile grace his lips. "Rage," he replied, nodding towards his friend. The man stepped forward, his muscular build casting a shadow from the streetlight. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," Rage replied, moving even closer towards Levi. "Kraken told me what happened today, I was worried."

"Kraken talks too much," Levi replied, continuing down the street. He stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he found Rage staring at him with a concerned expression, lips pressed in a thin line.

"You're not biting off more than you can chew, right?" Rage asked.

Snorting, Leviathan turned his head to the side, unable to look at the other villain. "I've yet to see how this is any of your business…" he said, fiddling with his pockets. He flinched when he felt a hand touch the bottom of his chin, and direct his gaze towards Rage's eyes.

"It used to be my business," Rage said. He moved his hand down to Leviathan's neck, gently massaging the area that Triton had grasped so tightly. He smiled sadly at the bruise. "Running into you yesterday was nice," he said. "I wish it didn't end so abruptly."

With a sigh, he appraised Levi with slightly narrowed eyes. "You seemed pretty assured that that hero would rescue you."

"He would have rescued any human," Levi cut in, not liking Rage's tone of voice.

"Maybe," Rage said, moving his hand even farther down until it was placed against Levi's chest. He backed the villain against the brick wall of the building beside them.

"Just remember, Levi, heroes are all the same." He clenched Levi's hair, and jerked his head to the side, leaned down, and ran his tongue along the purple bruise on Levi's pale throat. "They pretend to be made of goodness," he said, nibbling on the skin, making Levi wince, "but he was ready to kill you, wasn't he?"

Levi placed his hands on Rage's shoulders, breathing heavily despite himself. It had been several months since his last time with the other villain, and he couldn't control the warmth racing down to his loins. "You've got the wrong idea," he said, breath hitching as Rage started to grind slowly against him. He closed his eyes, gasping when Rage pressed him roughly against the wall. A few months was a long time…

Opening his eyes, suddenly everything seemed to lose focus. Standing across the street from them, barely lit by the flickering street lamp, was Troy.

And he looked very, very angry.


	6. Volume 6!

Volume 6!

"Is something wrong?"

Levi ignored Rage as the man started to slide his hand up Levi's shirt, letting the cold air of the night nip at the villain's pale skin.

Across the street, Troy was watching them. The young hero's first reaction was to walk away by several feet, but then he had stopped and looked around again. Now, he was standing there, his eyes wide as he watched Rage press his impressive body against Levi, forcing the villain to arch his back up towards him. "Don't…" Levi managed to say in protest, which Rage didn't find too convincing.

"Rage," Levi said, with a firmer tone, "Stop." His words were met a slight growl as Rage trapped Levi's lips in a punishing kiss. The taller villain was being more insistent than he had in the past, holding on to Levi's wrists as he pushed, and pushed. "What's gotten into you?" Levi hissed, feeling a slight hint of annoyance in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't move his gaze from Troy, who seemed rooted to the ground. If the hero still suspected Levi… then he would wonder about Rage as well.

Sensing Levi tensing up, Rage looked down at him with a curious expression on his face. "I know you're a bit of an ice queen, but you've never said no before…" he trailed off, still holding on tightly to Levi's wrists.

"And you've never acted like a dick before," Levi said, shoving against the other villain. Rage laughed at Levi's meager strength compared to his own, and pushed back, roughly shoving Levi against the wall.

"Fuck you," Levi said, glaring up at the villain. He was ready to sink his teeth into Rage's throat. What was the villain's problem? They had never been on bad terms before… in fact they always had a mutually beneficial relationship since drunkenly hooking up a few years beforehand. Neither villain had ever wanted anything more than some fun under the sheets. "Why are you acting like this?"

He was having trouble breathing, with Rage pressing so hard against him, and only making matters worse, Troy was still watching them. Obviously, the hero thought Levi couldn't see him through the darkness, but the villain could tell that Troy had noticed the anger on his face. Levi had to get rid of Rage, and fast. He looked up at the other villain. "Why are you doing this?" he asked.

Rage's mouth slid into a small smile, his eyes narrowing. "Yesterday got me hot," he said, "Watching you act like a human, screaming for someone to save you from me." He leaned in, his mouth pressing against Levi's ear. "It pissed me off when that fucking hero got to save you," His warm breath tickled Levi's ear, causing him to shake his head.

"Hey!"

Levi looked up, the color draining from his face. Apparently Troy had grown a pair of balls, because the idiot was striding over towards them, waving his hand like a lunatic. Rage looked around, keeping a firm hold of Levi. "Do you know him?" he said, glancing back down at Levi with a raised eyebrow.

Troy walked up, hands stuff in his pockets, breath visible in the crisp night. "Hey, Levi," he said, some sort of semblance of a smile on his face. "Who's your friend?"

Staring at the twerp disbelievingly from between Rage's arms, Levi couldn't help but smirk. Was this kid serious? "None of your god damn business," he said. Even if they weren't villains, even if Troy didn't suspect his alter, there was no excuse for interrupting an obviously private moment. He nudged his head in the opposite direction, indicating that Troy should leave.

Troy smiled at him, and ignored the gesture. Instead, he held his hand out towards Rage, waiting for the man to let go of Levi. "I'm Troy," he said, keeping his voice light. "I work with Levi,"

Staring at the outstretched hand, Rage considered Troy for a moment. A large smile spread across his face, but he refused to shake. Levi almost sighed in relief; if either of them had touched each other… they would have known instantly that neither were human.

"Rex," Rage said, "I'm Levi's…" he trailed off, pointedly looking down at the position Levi was in.

"He's never mentioned you," Troy snapped.

"Listen, kid," Rage replied, "Obviously we're in the middle of something-"

Troy cut him off again. "It looked like Levi wanted you to stop,"

A noise of disbelief escape from Rage's throat as he stared at Troy. Looking down at the man in his arms, he waited for an explanation from Levi.

Levi was pretending he was somewhere else. His growing anger at both men was about to go unchecked, and he was ready to throw both down the street with every ounce of strength that Leviathan possessed. Why was Rage doing this to him, right outside of his alter's place of work? Did Rage want the two of them to be found out?

Suddenly, he felt a click in his head as if someone was knocking on a door. "What's taking you so long?" Kraken was speaking to him, probably from his disgusting La-Z-Boy.

Levi smirked, causing Rage to look at him curiously. "Rage is trying to get in my pants."

There was a ripple of anger. "That fucker! I told him not to touch my baby brother,"

Looking up after a pause of radio silence, Levi saw Rage grimacing. "Fine!" he shouted suddenly, backing away from Levi. "Christ," he growled, "Did you have to sick your guard dog on me?" Without acknowledging Troy, he whirled around and stalked down the sidewalk, cursing Levi under his breath.

"Am I your guard dog?" Troy asked, looking annoyingly proud of himself.

Fine, whatever. "Yeah, I guess," Levi replied, still watching as Rage disappeared into the darkness. That guy wouldn't let the incident go so easily… Levi would probably have to deal with him later.

Looking back over at Troy, Levi frowned when he found the young man appraising him with a curious eye. "Is he a good kisser?" Troy asked, nodding in the direction that Rage had left.

"He's adequate," Levi replied, expressionless. "But you should learn to mind your own business,"

Shrugging, Troy crossed his arms with a smile. "Why should I?" he asked.

How arrogant. Levi's lip curled in annoyance as he stared at the golden boy. "I thought you didn't like me?" he asked. Immediately, Troy blanched, taking a step back from Levi as a blush crept up his cheeks.

"I don't," he said, holding a hand up. "I'm entirely a tits man."

When Levi continued to stare at him with a smug expression, Troy grabbed his wrist and started to drag him down the street. "I'll show you," he said, "I'm knee deep in pussy,"

"That's disgusting," Levi replied, a small smile still playing on his lips. He had to admit that Troy's earnest straightness was endearing, but his White Knight complex had still stopped Levi from getting laid.

There's no forgiveness for that.

"Come on, Levi," Troy replied, still holding on to the villain's wrist, "You're a dude, we're supposed to talk like that,"

"So you would be perfectly fine with having a discussion about how I'm ass deep in cock?"

There was a pause, Levi almost running into the young man as Troy stopped dead in his tracks. After a moment of silence, Troy sighed. "You're not… right?" the hero asked, without looking at Levi. "Like, not too many… dicks, right?"

"Are you asking if I'm a slut?" Levi replied, amused at how tightly Troy was holding on to his wrist. "What about you, and all your pussy?"

"That's different!" Troy replied, turning to Levi.

"How so?"

Troy stared at him, eyes wide, for a moment. "Well…" he said, stumbling over his thoughts. "You're letting men…" He took a gulp of air, as if saying the words was too hard. "You're letting men…" Not able to finish the sentence, he swung around again and continued to drag Levi along like a child pulling his parent.

"What if I was doing the fucking?" Levi continued after a moment.

"You know what?" Troy replied, "You were right, let's not talk about crude shit."

Smiling, Levi acquiesced, and continued to let the hero lead him down the street. They were headed for the bar district, and already the sounds of drunken people could be heard through the cold night air. After a few moments of silence, he felt the click that meant Kraken was trying to say something to him.

"What?" Levi asked.

"Is that douche with you still?"

Levi sighed. "He's not that bad,"

"Anyone who wants to shove their cock in your ass is that bad," came the growling response.

Why must everyone in his life be so disgusting? Rolling his eyes, Levi couldn't help by smile at the idea of his brother trying to keep Rage away from him. Kraken had actually been quite passive when Levi admitted that he liked men, but when he had walked in one day to find Rage steering his younger brother's ass towards his groin, Kraken almost snapped the other villain's neck.

Levi couldn't be mad this time, however. His brother had done an outstanding job at getting rid of one of the villain's problems. "Rage left," he said, "I'm just hanging out with a coworker."

"A human?"

Well, no, actually. "Yeah, just a guy from work."

Obviously this was fine, according to the lack of response. Kraken probably believed a human held no threat to his baby brother's honor. "Have fun," came the terse reply after several moments.

There was a jerk on his arm, bringing Levi back to the real world. "Oh, hell no." Looking up, he stared at a bright neon sign that read "LIGHTS". Levi rolled his eyes; such an inane name for a club. "I thought we were going to a bar?" he asked, staring dubiously at the line of girls wearing three inch heels, and sparkly dresses as they waited to be admitted.

"I get the most chicks here," Troy replied, walking him past the line. The bouncer took one look at the duo, and nodded them through. "I know some people," Troy said vaguely, as he smirked down at Levi. Of course, the golden boy wouldn't need to wait in lines.

He directed Levi to a table on the side of the dance floor, which had a perfect view of all of the writhing bodies. Sitting down, they only had to wait a second before a waiter showed up with two glasses of champagne. "On the house," she said, winking at Troy. He smiled back, his charm out in full force.

"She and I had a thing," he said to Levi, even as he placed an arm on the back of Levi's chair. He pushed the glass of champagne closer to the villain, and then took a sip of his. The thundering music was already feeling like a turn-screw being shoved in his brain, alcohol could only help. Taking the glass, he downed it one gulp.

Troy stared at him. "Are you nervous?" he asked, leaning in.

"I thought you were here to show me all the pussy at your feet," Levi replied, ignoring the question. Looking at Troy, he raised an eyebrow. "Unless, you were exaggerating?"

Opening his mouth to protest, Troy was cut off when two girls appeared, standing in front of their table. They looked like twins with their wavy brunette hair, and mascaraed doe eyes. "Hey baby," one of the girls cooed at Troy, "I haven't seen you for awhile," The other girl just nodded absently, a vacant smile on her lips. Without waiting for a response, the girl who spoke slid in next to Troy, while the other sat next to Levi.

"Kristi," Troy replied, sending Levi a smug glance, "I'm so sorry," The girl pouted cutely, giggling as she placed an arm on Troy's shoulder, leaning in to rest her head near his ear.

"I've missed you," she said, her white teeth flashing under the club lights. Sliding her twinkling gaze over to Levi, her mouth twisted into a passing frown. "Who's this?" she asked, obviously disapproving Troy's choice of friend.

Levi leaned back, a few strands of sleek black hair falling over his eyes. Flinching slightly, he had to stop himself from hissing when the vacant girl reached over, and placed the hair behind his ears. "You have really delicate features," she said, for no apparent reason. "I like feminine men,"

"I am not feminine," Levi drawled, barely turning to look at her. Well, at least she didn't seem to detest him like Kristi did… not that it mattered. He looked back over as the other girl started sticking her tongue down Troy's throat, the hero fondling her breasts.

"It's awkward, isn't it?" the girl beside him said, her voice still monotone. This time, he actually looked at her. She was smiling at him, her gaze slightly more focused. "It wouldn't be, if we were doing the same thing."

"You want me to kiss you?" he asked, his emerald eyes boring into her.

"If it will make you happy," she replied.

"It won't."

What a curious girl. Levi didn't back away when she moved towards him anyway, her soft lips pressing against him invitingly. Not really feeling the urge to keep going, nor having the determination to stop her, he let the girl reach up and place her hands against his chest as she continued to kiss him. "You're stronger than you look, aren't you?" she murmured, tracing the lines of muscles under his shirt.

"What are you doing, little girl?" he asked, running his hand through her silky hair. Inching forward, she moved her lips to his ear.

"I want her to be jealous,"

Leaning back, she looked at him meaningfully, and then glanced at Kristi. He sighed. "That won't work," he replied, but wrapped his arm around her waist anyway. Pulling her towards him, he enveloped her in a warm kiss. Why not help the poor, besotted girl?

Immediately, there was a tug on his arm. Looking around, he found Troy staring at him with an inscrutable expression. "Get out of here," he said to the two girls, gesturing for them to leave. Kristi let out a snort of derision, as if she couldn't believe she was being axed for Levi. The other responded with a shrug, standing up and waiting for her friend.

"Come on, Kristi," she said, obviously happy that Troy had booted them from the table. The other girl slid out of the booth, glaring at Levi as she walked away with her friend. Levi watched them walk away, hand in hand, wondering if the strange girl would ever get what she wanted, or if she was going to spend her youth trying to make a straight girl jealous.

"What was that?"

Levi looked around, and found Chris staring at the table, his hand a tight fist.

"I was having fun," Levi replied with a shrug.

"No," Troy replied, shaking his head. "You're supposed to be gay,"

"I'm anything I want to be," Levi said, his eyes narrowing. He shook his head, what was he doing here, anyway? Sliding out of the booth, he strode through the writhing masses of people, and headed straight out the door. Outside on the sidewalk, his breath puffed out in visible whips. Shivering, he stuck his hands in his pocket, and wondered if it would be better to just call a cab.

"Hey!" Troy had walked up beside him, pulling his arm so that he was facing the young man. When Troy saw Levi's expression, his eyebrows twisted in confusion. "Did I piss you off?"

Levi stared at him with half-lidded eyes, his mouth set in a firm line. "I do not like being policed," he said, "Especially by some kid I just met."

"I was worried," Troy replied, "You just don't seem like the kind of guy to be making out with one dude on the street, and then a club girl ten minutes later…"

"You don't know what kind of man I am," Levi replied, "My entire life is dedicated to decadence, sex, money…"

He immediately stopped talking. Not only was he lying, but he also sounded ridiculous. Money, sex, power… this was the mantra Kraken always repeated to him, the things they would always lust for as supervillains. If Kraken knew that Levi was standing outside a club, hours after he was supposed to be home, defending his proclivities to a superhero… he would be disowned.

"That's not true," Troy said, his tone obnoxiously earnest. "You're a good guy,"

A small hiss escaped from the back of Levi's throat. "Don't insult me," he snarled, his eyes flashing. "How dare you say such a thing?"

"Insult?"

Levi's eyes widened. What was he thinking? How could he have forgotten that Troy might have suspected him? He backed away several steps, his fingers involuntarily shaking. Turning, he quickly sped down the sidewalk, hoping that the hero wouldn't follow him. "Wait!" Troy shouted. No such luck.

He felt something grasp at his scarf, and the fabric came spinning off. Turning around, he found Troy standing there, holding the scarf, and staring at Levi's neck. "That bruise…" he said faintly.

Levi's hand went up to his neck. The bruise, the fucking bruise from when Troy was choking him. "I…" he stuttered, backing away, "It's nothing," While Troy continued to stare at him silently, Levi spun around ran away.

''''

"I need you to help me,"

Rage looked up from his work, and stared flatly at Levi. "Why should I?"

Before Levi could answer, there was a knock against the large double doors leading to Rage's office. After a pause, a slight, pretty secretary popped her head in. "Mr. Agerous?" she said timidly, "I have the CEO of GenSmart on the line…"

Rage waved at her, "Tell him I'm in a meeting," he said. She nodded, and quietly shut the door. When the click of the knob was heard, he leaned back in his oversized leather chair, and crossed his hands behind his head. "Give me one good reason," he said, smiling smugly at Levi.

"That guy," Levi replied, "I don't know how… but he suspects that I'm Leviathan."

"The one from last night?" Rage said, his mouth curling into a slight smirk. "I think he just wants a piece of your cute little ass,"

Levi narrowed his eyes at Rage, but counted to five before speaking again. "You, of all people, know how important it is to eliminate any doubt about our alters." He waved at the the skyline view Rage had through his office windows, "Would you ever want to risk any of this?"

Considering Levi silently, Rage ran a hand down his vibrant silk tie. "What would I have to do?"

Levi sighed. "Ravish me,"

A loud chuckle escaped Rage's lips as he leaned forward. "That seems like you would be doing me the favor."

Fool. "No," Levi said irritably, "I need you to… attack me, in front of him."

A frown crossed over his expression. "Why?"

"I need a plausible reason for having this," he gestured at the bruise around his neck. "He already thinks I have a thing for abusive men," He crossed his arms, looking down at the ground. "He must have… I don't know, read somewhere that Triton choked me, well… Leviathan."

After an extended moment of silence, Levi looked back up at Rage, who was still staring at him. "You know," the man said, "It's been a fantasy of mine to have you beg me for something… money, a job here, a mansion to replace that hovel you and your brother liv-"

"I'm not begging," Levi cut in, "I'm asking for a favor, one villain to another."

"Fine," Rage said, standing up, "but I want something in return." He walked around the large desk, and placed his hands on Levi's shoulders. "When the time comes that I want to ravish you for real, you won't go crying to your brother to stop me."

''''

Levi had made sure the timing was right. Every morning at eleven, Troy was supposed take the trash out to the alley behind the bookstore. This time, he would be in for a huge surprise.

"Just make sure that he sees you choking me," Levi said, even as Rage started to violate his person space by clasping the villain's slender waist with his large hands. Dodging a kiss, Levi glared up at Reg with a disapproving "Quit it!"

"That doesn't sound like fun," Rage said, smiling down at Levi as he pushed closer to the villain.

"This isn't meant to be fun," Levi growled.

"I don't know," Rage said, sliding a hand through Levi's raven hair, "I think freaking out that little twerp could be pretty entertaining."

Before Levi could respond, they heard the click of the side door opening. Without another word, Rage shoved Levi against the wall, placing one hand over the villain's mouth, and taring his shirt at the collar with the other. "You fucked him didn't you?" Rage shouted, with an alarming amount of sincerity. "Didn't you?"

Levi could see Troy walking towards them out of the corner of his eye, but got distracted when Rage closed his hand around Levi's throat, constricting air flow.

"Get off him!" Troy was yelling at them as he ran down the alleyway. Rage did a convincing job of looking scared, and dropped Levi instantly, taking off down the alleyway. Before they had enacted their plan, Levi had to make sure that Rage and Troy never actually had a confrontation. If either found out… He had told Rage to make things easy by running away.

"Troy," Levi said, catching the hero's arm. "Just let him go."

Turning on him with a enraged expression, Troy shook off the arm. "Are you fucking kidding me? He was choking you!"

"It's over," Levi replied, "I was breaking up with him." He looked down, trying to appear ashamed. "I had enough of the abuse."

Troy paused, staring silently at Levi. Finally, he moved forward and wrapped his arms around the other man. "You deserve better," he said, slightly awkwardly. He pushed back gently, and looked Levi in the eyes. "You deserve a hero, not a villain."

Levi's breath caught in his throat. Did Troy know everything?

"You need someone to protect you…" the hero continued, ruffling his hair nervously.

No, he was being metaphorically. Levi had to keep from laughing as the young man started shifting from what foot to another. "You need…" he said slowly, "someone who will…" Pausing, he looked up at Levi.

"Hey," he said, "Will you date me?"


	7. Volume 7!

Volume 7!

Levi felt his eyebrow twitch. "What?"

"I…" Troy said, "I think we should date."

The hero was hulking over Levi, who was still leaning against the wall of the alleyway. Straightening up, Levi started to pull his tattered shirt, ripped during the fake confrontation with Rage, over his head. "Any particular reason why?" he asked. When Troy failed to respond, he balled the shirt in his hand, and shouldered past the hero.

When he reached the side door to the bookstore, he turned to look back at Troy. "You should stay out of my business," he said. "Like you said, you're straight."

Troy frowned at this, shaking his head. "You go out with dangerous guys," he said. "I would never hurt you,"

Fighting the urge to snarl at the kid, Levi crossed his arms. "What am I supposed to do with that?" he said, "Would you be my bodyguard, or my boyfriend?" Not to mention, 'Triton' had tried to kill him only two days before… would Troy protect Levi from himself? "Better yet," Levi continued, "What about sex?" He let out a small chuckle. "I'm not willing to go without fucking, are you?"

Troy walked over to him, holding the door shut. "We could make it work," he said, "Like, an open relationship."

Why was this so important to him? They barely knew each other. "This is just your hero complex talking," Levi said, "You don't actually like me."

Jaw tightening, Troy made a move towards Levi, but thought against it. "I'm not a hero," he said. His fists were clenched, as he stared down at the villain. Levi narrowed his eyes, the corner of his mouth twisting upwards slightly. Placing a finger at the center of Troy's chest, he started to run his hand down the hero's torso.

"You are a hero," Levi said, "You know me for barely a month, and decide that I need to be protected?" As his hand reached Troy's waist, he inched forward while gripping on to the younger man's belt buckle. "What if I don't want to be protected?" he asked quietly, running his tongue over his teeth. "Did you ever stop to think that I like being with bad guys?"

Troy snorted, unsure of himself. "You're too uptight for that," he said.

Releasing the belt, Levi took a step backwards as he crossed his arm, cocking his head to the side. "Am I?" he said, with a quirk of his eyebrow. His mouth had pressed into a thin line, his shoulders rigid. The moment passed as he shrugged. "Either way, I'm not going to waste my time with a straight man." Pushing the stunned Troy out his way, Levi swung the door open and stepped inside.

As he walked past the employee lounge, to the main area of the store, one of the other employees, a girl, stepped in his way. "Hey, Levi," she said in a drawn out fashion. "Where have you been?"

She couldn't have been more than eighteen, and her obnoxious tone of voice grated on Levi's already tense nerves. "Excuse me?" he said coldly, "Is it any of your business?"

Smiling, she tilted her head, her blonde hair bouncing slightly in it's perky pony tail. "I'm just trying to be friendly," she said, "No need to be bitchy." She placed a hand on her hip. "I saw Troy go out the same door you did, a few minutes ago."

Ah, so that was what this was about. The girl was getting possessive over Troy.

"You should know," she continued, "he and I hooked up when he first started here."

"Congratulations," Levi drawled, his voice flat. "Any particular reason why you felt I needed to know this?"

She narrowed her eyes. "I just didn't want you to hold on to any false hope," she said.

"No problem," Levi replied, walking past her. His tolerance for people was reaching its boiling point, and with every second, the crowded bookstore felt more and more suffocating. Walking through the throngs of coffee-drinking loiterers, he quickly made his way to one of the least populated sections: Mathematics.

"I want pizza for dinner,"

Levi sighed as the voice of his brother bounced through his mind. Leaning against a stack, he slid to the ground, resting his head on his knee as he closed his eyes. "We decided to eat healthier, remember?"

"You decided." came the stubborn growl. "If I see another fucking tilapia filet, I'm going to-"

"Fine, I'll get pizza on the way home," Levi snapped.

There was a momentary pause of silence. "Look, if you're mad at me about the Rage thi-"

"I'm not,"

"Then why are you acting like a little bitch?"

Resting his hand over his eyes, Levi gritted his teeth and counted to five. "Fuck. You." When there wasn't a response, Levi let out a small burst of anger, picking a book off of the shelf, and chucking it at the stack across from him. Why was Kraken always such a dickhead?

"Levi?"

Eyes widening, he looked up to find Vick standing directly over him with a small smile. "That must have been a really terrible book." the man said, squatting down so that he was face to face with the villain. Staring at him, Levi realized he was looking into the eyes of the man who tried to kill his brother.

"It wasn't my favorite," he replied.

Vick laughed, and held out a hand to help him stand. Taking it reluctantly, Levi pulled himself upward. Letting go, he awkwardly ran his hand through his hair, wondering what to say to the superhero. "Thanks," he said, wincing from how dull it sounded.

Hearing another chuckle, he looked up to find Vick staring at him with warm eyes. "Want some coffee?" he asked, gesturing towards the coffee shop. Nodding, Levi followed his almost meekly, wondering what Vick could possibly want from him.

As they sat down, the hero placed a newspaper on the table, face upwards. "I had to speak to you," he said, tone light. "This is incredible," He was pointing at the story on the main page, waiting for Levi to say something. Looking down, Levi found himself staring at a picture of himself.

No, it wasn't Leviathan. It was Levi, clasped tightly in Ragerous' enormous grip. "Were you scared?" he asked.

"How did they get this?" Levi asked. That incident was days ago.

"Oh," Vick replied, seeming disappointed by Levi dodging his question, "It's an editorial on the general state of crime in Capitalia. I think someone sent in the picture." He leaned forward, moving the paper towards Levi. "Never mind that," he said, "How did you feel about being rescued by Triton?"

Jerking his gaze up, Levi studied Vick for several moments, wondering what the suphero's aim was. "Why?" he asked.

Sensing Levi's dubious tone, Vick backed away, and leaned back in his chair. "Just wondering," he said with a shrug. "You could say… I've taken a special interest in heroes." He scratched his chin, as if pondering a serious thought. "They're different from humans."

"Obviously," Levi replied.

"Well," Vick said, holding up a hand. "Take Triton, for example. He's young, new to the hero world…" He paused, as if to let his words sink in. "He's more susceptible to becoming infatuated."

Well, ain't that the truth.

"Any young hero… they're not always going to follow the rules," he continued, which peaked Levi's interest.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"A simple crush for a human could mean sending flowers, or asking someone on a date," Vick said slowly, as if he wasn't quite sure how to make his point. "While heroes, they're a bit more… flashy." He chuckled, looking down at the table. "They can get a bit carried with the dramatics, is what I'm trying to say."

He nursed his coffee for a moment, took a sip, and then continued. "If Triton were to develop a crush on, for example, you- then he might get a bit overly enthusiastic about it."

Levi laughed along with him, now that he understood what Vick was getting at. The poor superhero thought Levi was human, and needed to be warned about Triton's possible infatuation. It amazed Levi that Vick had come all the way down to the bookstore, just to hint that his cousin might have a crush on Levi. If only he knew… "I don't really think I'm the type Triton would go for," he said.

"Ah," Vick replied, sighing. "Still-"

He was cut off by a loud buzzer emitting from his cellphone. Flipping it open, his expression turned to a serious frown. "We'll have to talk more later," he said, "I'm afraid it's an emergency." Standing up, he quickly strode to the store's exit. As he was about to get up as well, Levi noticed that Troy had joined Vick as the two men raced out of the building.

Curiosity getting the better of him, and having a slight hunch on the matter, he went to the employee lounge, and flipped on the aging television set. Switching to the news channel, he was unsurprised to find a helicopter shot of the city, smoke rising from one of the main streets. "There's havoc in the business district," blared the reporter over the sounds of the helicopter.

Indeed, Levi recognized several of the monsters rampaging down the road. They were a band of villains who operated much like Leviathan and his brother, trying to use pure force to break their way into banks. However, this time it appeared as if they were just having a bit of fun throwing cars around. Levi let out a small laugh as he watched an SUV fly into a Hybrid. It certainly looked like fun.

He inched closer to the television set when Volt and Triton came into view, flying along side one another. Volt pointed towards one of the monsters, and immediately the two went crashing down towards the earth, surrounding the villain. "Here comes the calvary!" shouted the reporter, like a brainless idiot. Levi rolled his eyes at the theatrics, but pulled up a chair to the television despite himself.

Throwing one monster aside, Triton cast a long silver chain that Levi hadn't seen before, lassoing another villain and tossing him into the growing heap of bad guys. Meanwhile, Volt was rendering another monster unconscious with a zap of his electrical powers.

Levi's foot began tapping unconsciously. Was it just him, or did Triton and Volt seem more talented at heroics than usual? Narrowing his eyes, he watched as Triton gracefully dodged a hit, and quickly subdued his attacker.

"Do they go easy on us?" he growled, leaning even closer to the tv.

There was a slight cough. "Who?"

Bouncing forward in surprise, Levi smashed his nose against the television. Fumbling with the old-fashioned dial, he switched it off, and quickly stood up. His manager was staring at him with a dubious expression. "Are you alright?"

Levi blinked. "Only some of the time."

''''

Walking home an hour later, Levi couldn't help but think of the news report. Volt and Triton had worked as a well-honed team, defeating a group of villains much larger than the duo of Leviathan and Kraken. Were they… going easy on he and his brother?

Levi shook his head at the insulting thought. Why would they? Volt had been Kraken's arch-nemesis for years, there's no reason that he would ever pull back punches. The two hated each other. In fact, Kraken had introduced Leviathan to villainy by bringing him to a battle with Volt. Levi had only been seventeen at the time, more than ten years ago… his brother hadn't allowed him to even summon Sea Fang until he was thirteen.

If Levi did the math… Kraken had to be forty-eight, although he didn't look a day older than his younger brother. Levi didn't know a single thing about his predecessor, the Leviathan that was Kraken's true brother. That Leviathan had died when he was twenty, and Kraken stopped aging because the two demigods were twins, and the balance had been thrown off. Waiting until the current Levi was twenty, and their two lives were in sync, Kraken was finally allowed to grow older again.

So, they appeared to be the same age, and that's where the similarities ended. Levi often wondered if the Leviathan before him looked like Kraken, and if they got along better. He would probably never know.

The thought of his brother reminded him that he was supposed to order pizza. Slipping his wallet out of his pocket, he pulled it open to see if he was carrying enough cash for a pie big enough to satisfy Kraken's endless hunger.

Suddenly, there was a shuffling behind him as, out of nowhere, some thug grabbed his wallet, and took off down the street. Heaving a sigh of annoyance, Levi started off after him. "Come here, you little shithead!" he shouted, remembering to pace himself. Using Leviathan's speed could attract witnesses with video phones.

There was a swish beside his ear and, without warning, a silver chain flashed by his field of vision. Wrapping around the leg of the thug, Levi watched as the man fell to his feet, and was rapidly dragged down the street towards Levi, only to pass the villain. Turning around, Levi watched with surprise as the end of the rope led to the strong hands of Triton.

"My hero," Levi said, as he made his way towards Triton. Already, the thug had dropped the wallet, and screamed in terror as Triton reached down to unchain the man. As soon as the silver rope released the thief, he scrambled to his feet and sprinted away from the other two. Levi stopped short when faced with the sight of Triton standing before him, cape swirling at the hero's feet, and his silver rope coiled around his hand.

"Did he hurt you?" Triton asked, causing Levi to lift an eyebrow. Did this dope follow him from the bookstore?

"Do I look hurt?" he said, crossing his arms.

Levi almost snarled when the hero had the audacity to step forward and place his hand around Levi's waist, scanning for any damage as he pulled the villain closer. "You weren't paying enough attention," Triton said.

Ignoring this, Levi nodded towards the rope. "What is that?"

Triton looked down at the chain in his arms, as if he had forgotten it was there. "It goes with my spear," he said, "Together they form a harpoon called Ocean's Deep."

"For hunting sea monsters," Levi replied darkly.

Triton nodded as he snapped his fingers, and the chain disappeared. "That's right," he said with a smile, "Do you know a lot about ocean mythology?"

Tilting his head, Levi narrowed his eyes. He wasn't about to have small talk with Triton in the middle of the sidewalk, the superhero standing in full regalia like a clown. "I don't," he said stiffly, turning to go. He growled when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't forget," Triton said, "the streets are dangerous at night. I would feel better if you took the bus home."

Prickling at the touch, Levi turned his head to glare at Triton. "You would feel better?" he said, "How is it any of your business?" He pushed the hand off of his shoulder, and fully turned his body towards the superhero. Poking Triton on the chest, he snarled, "I'm sure there are far more important things you could be doing right now than saving me from a street thug."

Grabbing the wrist of the hand poking him, Triton pulled Levi towards him, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You…" the hero said through gritted teeth. His body was so close to the villain, the Levi could feel the warmth emanating from Triton. Levi smirked at him.

"Me what?" he asked jeeringly.

Triton looked down, collecting himself. "You," he said slowly, "can be… so infuriating." He was still holding Levi's wrist, rubbing the villain's pale skin with his thumb as he pressed Levi's hand against his solid chest. Levi could feel the superhero's heartbeat thundering against his hand. Taking a slight gulp, he realized that he could smell the sea again. The scent was a little too intoxicating for his comfort.

Pulling his hand away, he slipped in his pocket so that Triton couldn't see it trembling. "Leave me alone," he mumbled, and turned to run away.

'''''

Stepping through the door, Levi did a double take to make sure he had walked into his own duplex when the sounds of classical music wafted towards him. Hesitantly inching towards the kitchen, his jaw dropped when he saw the scene laid out in front of him.

Kraken was standing awkwardly by the kitchen table, which he had covered with a tattered white sheet, and several mismatching candles. On the table were two relatively nice looking plates, and what looked like instant lasagna. "Do you like it?" Kraken asked, running his hand over his hair.

Taking in the box of wine and plastic wine glasses on the counter, Levi slid his gaze back to his brother. "What are you wearing?" Levi asked, his eyebrows practically hitting the roof. Kraken's attire consisted of patched corduroy slacks, and a garish hawaiian shirt. His long, usually tangled hair, was slicked back in a pony tail.

"The guy at the thrift store said these were high class," Kraken replied, looking down at his clothes, a faint hue of red tinting his cheeks. "Aren't they? I'll kill that little bastard."

Walking towards the ridiculous scene, Levi let himself smile. "Did you do this for me?"

Blushing more heavily, Kraken began twiddling his thumbs. "Well, I…" He clenched his jaw, and looked up at Levi. "I know you like this fancy shit, cause Rage would always buy it for you…"

"I never asked for that stuff," Levi responded, resting his hand on Kraken's shoulder. "But, this is… it's really nice, Kraken."

Proud of himself, Kraken stuffed his hands in his pocket. "See?" he said with his usual arrogant smile, "You don't need that prick, just stick with me, baby brother. I'll treat you right." He glanced down at the half-frozen lasagna. "Want to eat?"

"Let's wait," Levi asked, lip curling at the food. "I ordered you pizza on the way home,"

"No shit?" Kraken asked, his smile growing wide. He clapped Levi on the shoulder, and turned to open the box of whine. "Let's get trashed tonight," he said. As soon as he started to poor the first glass, the door bell rang out.

"It's the pizza," Levi said, leaving Kraken in the kitchen. He walked over to the front door, and pulled it open. Looking out, he was pretty sure he could have died at that moment. "What the fuck?"

Standing in front of him was Triton, holding out his wallet. "You forgot this," the superhero said, slightly subdued.

Levi slapped his pocket where his wallet was supposed to be as the color drained from his face. Grabbing the wallet from the hero's outstretched hand, he started to shut the door as quickly as he could. "Leave!" he hissed.

Stopping the door with his large hand, Triton stepped towards him with a miffed expression. "You could at least say thanks," he said, shoving the door open. Levi's eyes widened as he fought the urge to crush the hero's fingers.

"You don't understand," he said through clenched teeth, "You need to leave, now!"

His stomach dropped as he heard the sounds of Kraken walked towards the door. "What's wrong?" his brother asked, "Does the guy want a bigger tip? I'll tell him to fuck off," Standing over Levi, Kraken looked through the door, pausing in mid-step. Levi could feel his brother tense up behind him.

Staring at Kraken, Triton's expression settled into a scowl. "What are you doing here?" he asked, "With my boyfriend?"


	8. Volume 8!

Volume 8!

He slammed the door shut. What else could he do?

"Don't react," he said, as calmly as possible.

When Kraken didn't respond, he looked over his shoulder to find that his brother was frozen in place, eyes wide as saucers. "Kraken?" Reaching over, he poked his brother on the shoulder. Triton didn't have a paralyzing power, did he?

Levi jerked in surprise when his brother suddenly lurched out of his reverie, and grabbed the hand poking him. "What," Kraken spat out, barely able to speak, "What… what?" He was now looking at Levi, still unable to comprehend the situation, but growing visibly angry by the second. "Boyfriend?" he finally managed to say.

"He's talking about my human alter," Levi said, trying to be as succinct as possible. Triton could still be waiting on the other side of the door.

Letting out an involuntary laugh, Kraken slammed his hand on the door in frustration. "How does that make it any better?"

"I'll explain later," Levi hissed when he heard the knob of the door turning. He pushed Kraken away from the entrance just as the door opened, and Triton stepped through uninvited. With a glare at Kraken, he glanced around the messy living room, and finally brought his eyes to Levi.

"This is where you live?" he asked.

Fighting the urge to snipe something back, Levi put on his best interpretation of a smile, and gestured for Triton to go right back out the door. "I wasn't expecting guests," he said through gritted teeth. "Maybe next time, I'll have a little warning?"

"Next time?" Kraken growled indignantly from behind him. Looking back, Levi mouthed 'shut up' at his brother, only to be pushed aside as Triton walked past him. Watching as the superhero, fully clad in costume, walked through his house, Levi thought randomly that if there were a villain license, his would be revoked.

Kraken was standing, mouth agape, as Triton scanned the living room. Speeding over to him, Levi placed a hand on his shoulder to remind him to keep calm. "Ken," he said with exaggeration, "Didn't we have plans, or something?"

Snorting at the obvious attempt at getting rid of him, Triton stepped into the kitchen. "He's going to find the candles and shit," Kraken said, in a rare moment of intelligence. Cursing under his breath, Levi raced towards the kitchen, only to find Triton standing over the table Kraken had arranged earlier, holding up one of the plastic wine glasses.

"Date night?" he asked, turning to Levi with a quirked eyebrow, his chiseled jaw rigid, despite his rueful smile.

Staring at the glass, Levi realized he could make all of his problems disappear. "Yes." He closed his eyes when he heard Kraken run into something in the background.

"And… you two live together," Triton said, setting the glass down.

"Do you have a manager, or something?" Levi hissed, his temper getting the better of him. "Because, this constitutes as serious harassment, and I'd like to make a complaint."

"No, sorry." Triton looked around the aging kitchen, and the doubles of everything- two cups, two plates, and two bowls on the drying rack by the sink. There were only two chairs at the table. With a sigh, he crossed his arms and looked at Levi. "Are you happy here?"

"Yes," Levi replied.

Triton nodded towards the living room. "And he takes care of you?"

"Yes."

Considering Levi for a moment, Triton looked like he wanted to say anything else. "I guess I'm intruding, then," he said, his mouth a thin line.

Duh, asshole. "It's fine…" Levi placed his hand on his hip impatiently, hoping this meant that Triton would leave him alone. Taking not of the villain's attitude, Triton nodded, biting his lip. He started to walked towards the living room, unable to keep eye contact with Levi.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, heading out the door as Kraken and Levi watched.

The second the door shut, Kraken swung around on Levi like a typhoon. "He knows where we live!"

"He knows where Levi and Ken live," Levi replied with sigh.

"You may not have noticed," Kraken said, placing both hands on Levi's shoulders, "but we are Levi and Ken."

Pausing for a moment, Levi smiled. "Were you just being sarcastic?"

"You don't always get to be the witty one," Kraken replied, fighting his own smile.

"But you make it so easy for me by always acting like a dumb-ass."

With a sigh, Kraken released his brother and patted Levi on the head. "I'm not the one who let his arch-nemesis follow him home like a lost puppy," he said as he walked over to the cooler he kept by his lounge chair, and pulled out a beer. "So, are you going to explain this shit to me?" He popped the tab on the can, and plopped down in the chair while taking a long drag, as if preparing to watch a movie.

"He saved me from Rage,"

Choking on his beer, Kraken let out a loud guffaw, and coughed for several seconds as he tried to clear his throat. "Well, I can't complain about that."

"Shut up." Levi placed his hands on his hips, and began pacing the room. "Apparently superheroes can get attached to the people they save?"

"Typical, those bleeding hearts." Kraken replied. He looked up at Levi with a slight glint in his eye. "So why you, out of this whole damn city?"

"What, a hero can't like me?" Levi bit back.

The corner of Kraken's mouth tilted upwards into a smirk. "Oh sure," he said, "what guy wouldn't want a cuddly thing like you?"

"You nitwit," Levi snarled at him, stepping forward. Laughing at his younger brother, Kraken set down his beer, and threw the lounger pillow at him. Dodging the sack of feathers, Levi lunged forward, his hands aiming for Kraken's throat. With a deft move, Kraken grabbed him around the waist, and toppled them both on to the floor.

"Nitwit?" he asked, his fingers started to dance around Levi's bellybutton. "Can a nitwit make you laugh?"

"I'm going to lobotomize you," Levi replied, convulsing as Kraken continued to tickle him. "I'm going to pull out your organs one by one." Finally succumbing, he started giggling painfully as his skin became flushed. "You win!" he finally managed to squeak out.

Breathing heavily, he placed an arm over his eyes. "Being gay doesn't make me your sister, you can't treat me like that." he snarled.

"I wouldn't tickle a sister," Kraken replied from over him. "What if I accidentally touched her boobs?"

"Your immaturity astounds me," Levi said, fighting the urge to smile. He sat up, wiping his mouth of some drool that had dribbled out from the torture-induced laughing. After taking a moment to regain his breath, and let his skin cool down, he looked up at his brother. "I thought you'd be more angry."

"It was out of your control," Kraken replied. "I know how heroes get." His expression darkened slightly. "Although," he said, "Why did anyone have to save you from Rage?" Without waiting for an answer, he stood up. "I'm going to kill that asshole."

"Don't," Levi replied, pulling himself up by grabbing Kraken's arm. "I was just helping him out when he was having a little fun downtown." With a sigh, he started to slick back his raven hair, which had become a ruffled mess. "That's when Triton and Volt showed up."

The thought of the two villains reminded Levi of something he had seen earlier that day. "How good are they?" he asked.

"Like candy and kittens good," Kraken replied with a snort.

"No," Levi said. "I mean, how good are they at fighting?"

"Why are you asking?" Kraken looked at him with a curious expression. "Triton's new, you've fought him more than I have… as for Volt, he's been my arch-nemesis for years, you know how he fights."

"Have you ever watched him fight other villains?" Levi said.

Kraken's eyes narrowed. "No," he said slowly, "I guess not." When Levi remained silent, he crossed his arms. "What are you getting at?"

"Do you think they go easy on us?"

''''''''''''

The next day, Levi leaned against the railing separating the bookstore from the coffee shop silently, pondering his discussion with Kraken. His brother assured him that Volt would never give them a break, not after being Kraken's arch-nemesis for so long. He hated them.

Levi still had his doubts. The way Volt and Triton had teamed up against that band of villains was almost artful, and the monsters were never able to land a hit. However… Kraken had to be right, why would Volt care about their egos?

Looking up, he saw Troy walking through the bookstore next to the bitchy girl from the day before. She was hanging on to his well-built arm like a groupie, giggling every couple of seconds. "Plebeians," he said, his eyes narrowed. As they passed buy the coffee shop, Levi held out a hand. "Hey, Troy," he said, "I need to talk to you."

"Why?" Troy replied.

Pausing at the cold tone, Levi's mouth hung open for a moment, as the girl smiled at him. "His training is done, right?" she said, with fake tone. "He doesn't really need to talk to you anymore."

Levi stared at her, annoyed that he was intimidated by a teenage girl. "Excuse me?" he drawled.

"Maybe you should hang out with someone your own age," she snipped, "Like the manager."

"The manager is in her fifties, you little-"

"Levi!" Troy cut in, holding his hand up. Turning to the girl, he nodded towards the other side of the store. "I'll meet you in a sec, k?" She nodded huffily, sent one last look at Levi, and flounced away.

"What do you want?" Troy asked, turning to Levi as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

Thrown off guard by the the hero's gruff attitude, Levi opened and closed his mouth several times. "I…" he started off slowly, "I just wanted to finish up any loose ends from yesterday."

"No, it's fine." Troy replied. "I totally get it, you need someone willing to suck your dick."

Blanching, Levi almost slipped off the railing. "Excuse me?"

"I got in over my head," Troy said, "I shouldn't have said all that stuff, if I wasn't going to follow through."

"So…" Levi replied, "We're good?"

Troy nodded, "Yeah, we're good." His eyes slid past Levi, growing cold as his mouth slipped into a frown. "Your… whatever is here." Turning around, Levi felt a slight pinch of annoyance bubble up from his stomach when he saw Rage walking towards them. "I thought you two broke up?"

"I did too," Levi replied, walking to meet up with Rage before the villain made it all the way to Troy.

"Hey, baby," Rage said with a nod, as he conspicuously wrapped his arm around Levi's shoulder. "Can we talk?"

Looking down at his watch, Levi let out a small sigh. "I still have twenty minutes left on my break."

Rage smiled. "Perfect." He led Levi out to the street, where a town car sat idling by the sidewalk. Opening the door, he waited for Levi to scoot in, before getting in himself. With a quick order for the driver to just go around the block, he clicked the button to close the partition between the front and back seats.

"Nice," Levi said, as he slid his hand across the leather seat. "Sometimes I wonder why you even bother with Ragerous."

"I don't do it for the money." Rage replied, leaning in towards Levi, and brushing a stand of hair out of the villain's eye. "Chaos is in my blood." When his hand continued to wander down to Levi's shirt, reaching in through the collar, Levi swiftly elbowed Rage in the stomach.

"Ah," Rage breathed, laughing a little. "I give, I give."

"Is that all you wanted?" Levi said, his mouth pressing in a thin line.

"Usually," Rage replied, "but not this time… I have a proposition for you and your brother." He reached into his coat pocket, and slipped out a shiny brochure. Handing it to Levi, he waited for the villain to peruse the contents. It was an informational packet on a priceless diamond, found centuries beforehand. "Well, it's a favor more than anything else."

"A favor for you, or a favor for me?"

"Both," Rage said. "That diamond belongs to a business competitor of mine, and he's showing it off at a gala tonight. I know that subtlety is neither of ours' forte, but I think you and Kraken would have an easier time doing this smash and grab than a giant dinosaur." He pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and smiled at Levi. "Especially considering I'm expected to be at this infernal soiree."

"What's the point of taking it?" Levi asked, admiring the picture of the diamond, despite himself.

"It would embarrass my competitor, and give you and your brother some credibility."

Levi nodded. "I'll see what Kraken thinks," he said, just as the car pulled up in front of the bookstore.

"Do that," Rage replied. He opened to door, and waited for Levi to get out, with a huge smile on his face.

"You want me to crawl over you," Levi said, his tone flat. "Seriously?" When Rage continued to smile at him like a clown, Levi frowned and unbuckled his seatbelt. Inching over Rage, it was impossible not to straddle the villain as he made for the door.

When his face was only centimeters from Rage's, Levi felt the other villain grab his hand. "I got like this just from talking to you," Rage whispered in his ear, moving Levi's hand to his crotch. Despite himself, Levi blushed at the stiffness pressing against his palm.

"Grow up," he said, jerking his hand away. He cringed all the way to the bookstore, hearing Rage laughing at his back.

'''''''''

"I wonder if they have those lasers, like in spy movies?"

Kraken and Leviathan stood side by side in a large, dark empty room. In the middle, there was a brightly lit display box with the diamond clearly inside. "Maybe," Leviathan replied, despite how silly lasers sounded.

Rage had emailed them the floor plans and security schedule a few hours beforehand, and now all they had to do was get the diamond out before the crowds of rich people came into the ballroom to view it. Scanning the cavernous space, Leviathan doubted that the fancy hotel had the budget for lasers. "Maybe night cameras?"

Kraken nodded. "This does seem a bit too easy."

"Rage said that when we got to the ballroom, we were golden." Levi stepped forward, half expecting for alarms to starting ringing. When nothing happened, he continued to walk towards the diamond. "Maybe this guy is just that confident?"

He heard Kraken snort, "He shouldn't be."

When they reached the glass case, both took a moment to breath. "According to Rage, once we break in, the alarms will go off," Leviathan said, looking up at his brother. Kraken nodded, preparing himself to smash the glass.

Suddenly, there was a static crackle in the air. "I wouldn't do that, if I were you." Stepping out of the darkness, Volt sidled over to them, standing only ten feet away from the two villains. "Well, well, well," he said. "Rage? As in Ragerous Rex?" He smiled. "I forgot you two were allies with him."

Kraken stepped in front of Leviathan. "You take the diamond, I'll deal with this."

Laughing, Volt cocked his head to the side. "Always the protective older brother," he said, a slight edge to his voice. "Will you ever let baby Leviathan fight me?"

"No." Kraken replied succinctly. Rushing towards Volt, he pulled his fist back, preparing to punch. With a tremendous crack, Volt swerved away from Kraken, and ran towards Leviathan. Pointing his fingers towards the bay, Leviathan tried to quickly summon Sea Fang before the villain reach him. He was too late, cringing when Kraken appeared in front of him, absorbing the hit with a loud "oomph!"

"Kraken!" Volt snarled, backing up slightly as the villain stood, hunched over. Uncharacteristically angry, he looked up at Leviathan. "You let him take your hits for you now?"

"Fuck you," Kraken wheezed. Looking over at Leviathan, he winked, and then ran head long towards the surprised Volt, sending them crashing all the way over the balcony of the ballroom. Watching in shock, Leviathan tried to rally himself, and headed towards the glass case. He would get the diamond, and then go to his brother.

As he reached for the glass, something sailed past his ear, and smashed into the wall. "That was a warning shot," came an angered voice. Looking down the silver rope attached to the flying object, Leviathan turned around to find Triton standing behind him.

"What," Leviathan drawled, his green eyes flashing, "where you hiding in the dark?"

Triton laughed, as he stalked closer to Leviathan. With a jerk, his spear came flying back into his grip, silver chain coiled around his feet. "I brought my fishing gear." he said. "Now I just need a big catch."

"How clever," Leviathan said under his breath, as he rolled his eyes. He took one last long look at the diamond, and turned to face Triton, Sea Fang pointed towards the superhero. They circled each other as the sounds from the gala wafted into the dark room.

With a glint of the spear, Triton came rushing towards him. Leviathan swerved out of the way, only to find his feet tripped up by the silver rope. Jerking the chain, Triton let out a laugh as Leviathan fell to the ground. "How long have you been doing this?" he asked, walking over to the villain.

Before Leviathan could stand up, Triton straddled him around the waist, pointing the spear at his throat. "If you don't mind," he said, hitting Sea Fang out of Leviathan's grip, sending it skittering across the ballroom floor. Leaning down, so that their faces where only inches apart, the corner of his mouth lifted in a malicious snarl.

Leviathan's chest was pounding under Triton's weight. Was this the moment he was going to die? Somehow, the thought of making Kraken lose a second brother was almost unbearable. "Wait," he said, lifting his slender finger up.

"What?" Triton asked, "Are you going to beg?" He stared down at Leviathan, his eyes cold. Placing a hand around the villain's throat, he squeezed. Leaning closer, he was about to say something when the cruel expression on his face melted. Rubbing his thumb against Leviathan's pale skin, his grip loosened. Moving even closer, his lips centimeters from the villain's, he paused. "You remind me so much of a human," he said, "but only when you're vulnerable, like this."

A blasphemous thought crossed Leviathan's mind. He could… confess. Triton wouldn't kill him if he knew he was Levi.

Just as he was about to speak, Triton pressed down, crushing his warm lips against Leviathan's. Still keeping the spear pressed against Leviathan's throat, he grabbed the villain's hair with his free hand, and kept their faces linked together. Leviathan let out a growl of anger, reaching up to claw Triton's back. When this became cumbersome, Triton dropped the spear, and grabbed Leviathan's wrists, holding them over his head.

"You're just a villain," Triton said, biting a patch of skin on Leviathan's neck. He started to grind against the villain, his other hand reaching down to cup Leviathan's ass.

Leviathan hissed when the hero shoved a knee in between his thighs, trying to force him to spread his legs. Suddenly, however, the superhero stopped and sat up as he looked down at Leviathan, his blond hair falling around his face. "Can I?" he asked.

Leviathan stared up at him. "Are you fucking serious?"

"I'm really horny," Triton replied.

"That," Leviathan said, jerking slightly, "is not an excuse, you barbarian!"

"Barbarian?" Triton replied, with a smile. "Now you really remind me of him." Laughing at Leviathan's indignant expression, he let go of one wrist, and pushed a few strands of the villain's silky black hair away from his face. "Sorry," he said, "but I kind of want to kiss you one more time."

Ignoring Leviathan's protests, he leaned down to lay a light, and tender kiss on the villain's lips …which was when the ballroom lights flipped on in a flourish, as the double doors burst open, revealing a crowd of gala attendees. "Christ Almighty," someone said with surprise.

Leviathan grimaced. He could recognize Rage's voice from anywhere.


	9. Volume 9!

Volume 9!

Leviathan saw the the cell phones being lifted, people fumbling to switch on the camera mode, and clenched his teeth. In a matter of seconds, pictures of Triton holding him down like a romance novel maiden would be twittered across the city, and his reputation would be shot. He couldn't let that happen.

Slicing his free hand up, he hit Triton on the side of the throat, causing the hero to gasp in pain. Taking advantage of Triton's momentary loss of air, he grabbed the hero's arm with both hands, and then used all of his strength to roll over him so that he was the one straddling Triton. "Seems our situations are reversed," he said, looking down at the coughing superhero.

Placing his leather gloved hand around Triton's throat, he leaned down and pressed his lips against his captive's mouth, just as a hundred camera phones went off in a flurry of clicking. There were several audible gasps from the crowd.

He smiled into Triton's mouth. Perfect timing.

Jumping up, he ran to the display case while summoning Sea Fang. When the blade flew to his hand, he dropped the hilt down on the glass, which shattered into millions of tiny, sharp fragments. Turning to look at Triton, who was just leaning up, he picked up the diamond and flaunted it at the recovering superhero. "To answer your question," he said, "no, you may not."

Sticking the diamond in his breast pocket, he swerved around and ran for the balcony. Hopefully Kraken was able to hold his own, he thought, as he gracefully leapt over the stone railing, and sailed down to the garden below. Several people screamed as he landed on the hotel's patio, amidst all of the evening diners.

"Did a villain and a superhero happen to fall down here a few minutes ago?" he asked a small girl wearing a satin dress, and eating with her family. She giggled a nodded shyly. "Which way did they go?"

She pointed in the general direction of the bay. Frowning, Leviathan stepped away from her as he started to run at full speed towards the port side of the city. If Kraken had gone that way… either he was hurt, or he was planning on transforming into his sea monster shape. Leviathan had to reach his brother as quickly as possible.

'Kraken,' he said, trying to reach his brother telepathically as he ran, 'Are you alright?'

There was no answer. Leviathan's mouth tightened into a thin line as he pushed himself to run faster.

As the sea came into view, Leviathan spotted several crushed cars and damaged sidewalks, indicating that his brother had been through the area. Running down to the beach, he called again, but still didn't hear a reply. As he sped along the sand, he stopped dead short when he saw two figures in the distance.

Kraken was lying on his back, while Volt kneeled next to him, cradling Kraken's head in his lap.

Blood turning to ice, Leviathan couldn't control as scales began to spread across his skin, and his teeth sharpened into arcing tips. "Get away from him!" he screamed, even as spiky ridges began to grow along his back.

"Leviathan," Volt breathed, looking up at him. "What do I do?" There was a line of blood dripping down from an enormous gash on Kraken's forehead.

He would kill Volt. He would swallow the superhero down his throat, mashing him to pieces with his teeth. He would take him down to the depths, where no light lived, and he would drown him. Shuddering, Leviathan felt his coherency drain away as his body began to grow. He realized that he was losing control of his transformation. Looking down, he saw his nails elongate, reshaping violently into silvery talons.

"Is he… alive?" he asked, trying to keep a hold on his human mind. He turned his gaze away from his wounded brother, the sight only feeding into the sea creature's hold on him.

"Yes!" Volt said, shaking. Leviathan's eyes were cold, his voice silent. The transformation had already taken his ability to speak. Pointing to the ocean, he turned and stared at Volt. "Take him to the water," he said.

Falling to ground, he groaned in pain as his bones began to shift. Something bigger, and much older than himself was taking control from within.

A tiny flicker of relief lit in his mind when he saw Volt carry his brother into the ocean, disappearing under the waves. The water would heal Kraken… everything would be fine. He let out a scream of pain as the sea monster clawed at his soul, begging for release. It wanted revenge. Digging his claws into the sand, he fought the creature, demanding it to recognize who was in control.

"Leviathan?"

He closed his eyes. That damn kid. Triton had landed from the air several feet away from the writhing villain. Stepping forward, he bent down slightly, trying to see into Leviathan's eyes. "What's going on?"

'You… imbecile,' Leviathan hissed. 'What do you think is happening?'

Before the hero could answer, Leviathan screamed again, as tears started to flow down his face. If he couldn't control the sea monster, than he couldn't allow it to come out… but it wouldn't stop fighting him. This had never happened before. Kraken usually allowed his monster form to take over, but Leviathan had always felt that giving free reign to the monster would result in something terrible. It usually did.

Just as his will was about to buckle, he felt Triton grab his wrists. Putting a leg on each side of Leviathan's waist, Triton dug his knees in the sand to get a good grip before holding the convulsing villain down. "How do we stop it?" he asked, careful to avoid the spikes along Leviathan's back.

Hissing, Leviathan closed his eyes as another wave of pain seemed to eat at his heart. Did he really have so little pride that he would allow himself to be saved by a superhero? He heard Triton gasp in pain, but didn't hear anything else. Looking through the corner of his eye, he could hazily see that one of his spikes had punctured the hero's thigh. Triton was gritting his teeth against the pain, and kept a firm hold on Leviathan's wrists.

Hesitating for another second, Leviathan pressed his eyes shut. 'Choke me,'

"What?"

Hissing, he tried to keep ahold of his jumbled thoughts. 'Knock me out,' he said, 'If I pass out from lack of air, it'll stop.'

He felt Triton let go of his wrist. Leaning forward, the hero wrapped his arm around Leviathan's throat, and squeezed. The sea monster raked Leviathan's insides, furious that he would betray him. The pain was starting to recede however, as sweet oblivion seeped into his mind like a fog. As the corners of his vision went black, he saw Volt emerge from the water, carrying his brother. The blood was gone. 'Thank god,' Leviathan thought, as everything went dark.

'''

Volt and Triton stared down at the two villains, both laying unconscious, side by side in the sand. Leviathan had transformed back, his pale skin seeming translucent under the moonlight, covered in a sheen of sweat from the ordeal. Both were breathing lightly, almost peacefully, probably because they were so close to the crashing waves of the ocean.

"Should we…" Triton paused, as if he didn't want to say it. "Should we take their masks off?"

"No," Volt replied.

Triton looked at him, surprised. "We'll own them," he said, "We'll know who they are."

Sighing, Volt crossed his arms. "That's true," he said.

"You don't give a shit about beating them," Triton said. He stepped forward, and kneeled down next to Leviathan, brushing a strand of hair from the villain's face, his fingers lightly grazing the mask hiding Leviathan's identity. "He was in a lot of pain," the hero said absent-mindedly.

"Well," Volt replied, "He thought I killed his brother." Volt shifted uncomfortably at the memory of Leviathan's murderous gaze on him. It was as if the villain wasn't even behind those cold eyes, but some ancient evil. Triton had seen that look before, many, many years ago… only it was Kraken who was looking at him with revenge in his eyes.

He watched as Leviathan unconsciously rolled into the nook of Kraken's arm, nuzzling towards his brother. Volt snorted, so much for evil.

"They're really close," Triton said, smirking slightly as he looked up at Triton.

"They've been together for thousands of years," Volt said. "In some form or another." He looked out at the ocean. "They'll never let anyone else in."

Standing in silence, the two heroes observed Leviathan and Kraken, trying to figure out what to do. Just as Triton was about to speak again, the whole beach seemed to tremble as something rumbled across the road. "Here comes the calvary," Volt said flatly, looking over his shoulder to see a gigantic form crashing towards him.

A thunderous roar rocked the air, as Ragerous Rex stepped towards them, making the sand vibrate with each crashing fall of his enormous feet. When Triton made a move to grab Leviathan, Ragerous picked up a car, and sent it flying only a few feet away from the hero. 'Leave him,' he said, 'or I will slaughter you.'

Volt held an arm out to stop Triton from rushing to Leviathan anyway. "Ah, Rage," he said. "What about Kraken? Or do you only care about your fuck buddy?" He sensed his cousin stiffen next to him. Looking over, he sent Triton a look.

Meanwhile, Rage laughed in his head. 'Fuck buddy?' he said, "You're just jealous that I was able to crack their cute little brotherhood." He stepped closer, crunching a park bench under his foot.

All three looked down when they heard Kraken groan. The elder brother was waking up. After a pause, he sat up, rubbing his forehead. As his eyes opened, his gaze rested on the two heroes standing in front of him, and then Ragerous blocking the horizon. "Leviathan?" was all he said.

Volt smiled. "Your precious brother is right next to you, idiot."

Looking down, Kraken saw Leviathan, and went pale. Launching to his feet, he slid his arms under his younger brother, and lifted him up. "What did you do to him?" he growled, narrowing his eyes at Triton. "I can smell you on him."

He didn't wait for answer. Turning his back on the two superheroes, he charged away from the beach, quickly disappearing from sight without even acknowledging Ragerous.

"Oh sure," Volt said, looking up at the monster. "You really cracked that teflon nut right open."

''''''''

Reaching their duplex, Kraken rushed through the door, and set Levi down on his Lay-Z-Boy. Kneeling next to his brother, he placed the back of his hand against Levi's forehead. "Wake up," he said, "come on."

He could hear his original brother laughing at him, mocking him for letting his kid brother get hurt like this. The previous Leviathan had always had a good sense of humor, but when he died… Kraken wasn't quite willing to give a chance to the baby meant to replace his twin brother. Anyway, all that had changed.

"Levi," he said quietly. "What happened?" He should never have left Leviathan alone.

Hearing a groan, he looked up. Levi's face was scrunched, his eyebrows knotted. Turning his face to Kraken, he opened his eyes and looked around.

"Why am I on your disgusting chair?" he said, his voice raspy.

"You little bastard," Kraken replied, resting his face on the arm rest. He felt Levi place a hand on the top of his head.

"Are you ok?" Levi asked. Kraken glanced back up, and saw the concerned look in Levi's eyes. The memories of his fight with Volt flooded back, bubbling up into a headache. Just as he was about to answer back that he was fine, the door to their duplex crashed open.

"Leviathan!" Rage had slammed into their home, wearing a haphazardly arranged tuxedo, his hair falling in shaggy disarray around his ears. When he saw the two brothers in the living room, he stomped over and held out his hand. "Enough is enough," he said. "Come with me, I'm not leaving you with this psychotic asshole any longer."

Kraken stood up, moving to stand in front of the chair. "Psychotic?" he said, his mouth turning upwards into a grin.

"Yes," Rage replied, his eyes narrowing, his shoulders tense. "You're going to get him killed one of these days, just like your first brother."

Sitting up, Levi swung his legs over the chair, and stood. Stepping around his brother, he crossed his arms. "Don't you dare speak to him that way," he hissed. He stared coldly at the other villain, and gestured for him to leave. "You think you can order me around?"

Stepping closer, Rage snarled at him. "What I think," he said slowly, "is that I'm not going to let a superhero fuck you. If you're under my contr-" He paused, shaking his head, and then adopted a softer tone. "If you live with me, I can make sure that shit like tonight never happens again."

"Live with you?" Levi said, letting out a snort. "I would never."

Something flickered in Rage's eyes. "Maybe, if you test my patience too much, I won't give you a choice."

His voice had gone cold and his expression rough, lacking it's usual slick charm. Drawing back the hand he had offered earlier, he crossed his arms. "Leviathan," he said slowly, "I have money, power, and everything in between. All I have left to do, is claim you as my own." He looked at Kraken, as if the man was an annoying bug. "And I'm not afraid to fight for that."

Despite himself, Levi felt slightly hurt. "What's with you?" he asked, "I thought we had an agreement…"

"I'm not in the mood for childish games like that anymore," Rage replied. "I'm thirty-two, and I want my partner, now."

Kraken snorted. "You're just jealous that Leviathan already has a teammate."

His cold gaze sliding over to Kraken, Rage smiled. "Perhaps." he said, "I do dream of causing mayhem with Leviathan, but trust me… I want him for much more than that." He shrugged, the tension lifting slightly. "Fine," he said, seemingly calmer as he looked back at Leviathan. "I'll give you a little more time." Looking down at his watch, he swerved around and walked out the door.

Leviathan stepped to the door as well, and watched as Rage walked down the steps, and slid into a limo waiting by the curb. When the car drove off, Levi shut the door with a sigh. His no-strings-attached relationship had become exponentially more complicated.

"Levi," he heard his brother say.

"Yes?"

"What was he talking about, when he said he wouldn't let a superhero fuck you?"

''''

LEVIATHAN ON TOP?

Staring down at the headline blaring from the paper in his hands, Levi sighed. The picture of him straddling Triton was gratifying enough, but then there was so much insulting innuendo in the article, implying that the villain seemed more likely to be on bottom, that the win seemed bittersweet.

"Slender?" Levi looked down at his waist… it was a bit lithe. Crumpling the paper slightly, he continued to read. There was barely a mention of how he had stolen a priceless diamond. No, it was all about how his cheeks seemed flushed under his mask, and maybe he would surrender to Triton's 'powers of good'?

"Gossip-rag," Levi drawled, throwing the paper to the side. Sitting back in his chair at the coffee shop, he vaguely wondered how much longer he could get away with not working before the manager would sniff him out. Just as he began scanning the bookstore for her, he noticed Troy sidling into the stacks.

"What?" Levi asked, curious. Troy had wandered into the "Adult" section. He had to see what this was about.

Standing up, he quietly followed the hero into the stacks, and watched from behind one bookcase, staring through a gap in the books as Troy ran his finger along the spines, looking for a book. Levi smirked when Troy pulled out a book titled 'His Male Slave".

"What are you doing?"

Troy dropped the book, face glowing red as he looked around for the source of the voice. When he caught sight of Levi staring at him through the books, he looked down. "What are you doing, creeper…" he said quietly, shuffling his feet. Levi came around the stack, and bent down to pick up the book.

"Gay erotica?" he said, waving the book in front of Troy's face.

Grabbing the book, Troy's expression grew obstinate. "So?"

"Why?" Levi crossed his arms, tilting his head.

"It's none of your business," Troy replied, placing the book with a stack of papers in his arm. "You have a boyfriend."

"Ok," Levi said. "That doesn't explain why you're reading gay erotica."

"I want to see if it makes me hot, ok?" Troy said back, clearly flustered. "And maybe to get some tips…" When Levi continued to stare at him with a skeptical eye, he looked down at his feet again. "After you rejected me… I may have found another dude that I want to… fuck. Maybe."

"Well," Levi said, stealing the stack of papers and books from him. He laughed when he saw the papers were downloaded manuals on how to have homosexual intercourse. "This might help you," he said, holding up the manual on using lube and preparing the man who was bottoming. "But… really, His Male Slave?"

Troy sighed. "This guy, he might not be so willing, you know?"

Looking up with at him with a dark expression, Levi frowned. "I hope you're not implying that you're planning to…"

"No!" Troy said, holding up a hand. "I just mean… this guy isn't your average dude, like… he might kill me if I'm not careful." He stuffed his hands in his pocket. "I just want him to know I'm serious, you know? But that.. I'm not…" He blushed. "I want to be in charge."

"Wha-" Levi began to say, when the truth dawned on him.

Troy was researching how to top Leviathan.


	10. Volume 10!

Volume 10!

"I, uh…"

Troy watched Levi as the villain placed a finger against his temple. "Is that weird?" he asked.

"Well, it's just…" Levi massaged his head, hoping the kid would just shut up.

"Or is it awkward that we're talking about this?"

"No, no… I'm just," Making a sound very similar to a deflating balloon, Levi leaned against the bookcase next to him, and started fiddling with a anthology of sexual positions. When he realized what he was looking at, he quickly stepped away, only to hit the back of his head on the stacks behind him.

Troy watched this with growing amusement. "You're mad, aren't you?"

"Excuse me?" Levi regained his balance as he looked up at Troy. The superhero stepped forward, leaning towards Levi as he placed a hand against the stacks behind the villain. Breathing in, Levi tried to not dwell on the close proximity to the handsome superhero as the scent of the ocean invaded his senses.

"It was my fault, ok?" Troy said, hitting his chest with his hand. "You were obviously having some relationship… issues, and I tried to butt in." Reaching over, he touched the book right next to Levi's ear, blocking in the villain on both sides. "I shouldn't have been so forward if I wasn't willing to have sex with you."

"I'm sorry you find me so undesirable," Levi replied with a dry tone, as he crossed his arms.

Troy let out a sigh, smiling at Levi's flat expression. "That's not what I'm saying." Running his tongue over his lips, he paused to try and fit his thoughts into words. "What I mean, is… I should have had more confidence before trying to start anything." He looked into Levi's eyes, his expression sincere.

"You should have read His Male Lover earlier?" Levi said, a faint hint of a smile gracing his lips.

Snorting, Troy covered his eyes with his hand. "Enough with that, ok? I was only looking at it because this guy…" He paused, looking at Levi. "He's going to pose a bit of a challenge."

"Maybe you should go for someone else?" Levi replied. If his assumption was correct… he had to convince Troy not to pursue Leviathan, without actually revealing that he knew who the hero was talking about. Hopefully, however, Levi had guessed wrong. "Why this guy in particular, anyway?"

"He reminds me of you," Troy replied, point blank. Levi blanched, blushing despite of himself. He hadn't expected Troy to be… so forward about it. Breathing in sharply, he flinched when he felt the hero brush his large hand through Levi's hair. "You know," Troy said, "This would all be moot if you dropped your other guy."

Levi was about to respond, when he was tripped up by the memory of Triton in his house. Shit. He hated when alter-life and villain-life got mixed to the point that he couldn't remember what happened to whom. Technically, Troy wasn't supposed to know that Levi and Kraken were 'dating'. If Levi went along with it, and then the hero remembered… the villain would have to play dumb.

"What other guy?" Levi replied pointedly.

"Your roommate," Troy said, his eyebrows knitting with confusion. The imbecile. Levi paused, hoping that Troy would register what road he was going down. Fight a smile, he breathed in relief when the spark of realization dawned in Troy's eyes.

"I mean," he said, stumbling over his words. "I'm only assuming…"

Levi nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I like to keep that relationship under wraps." A moment passed, the awkwardness of their physical closeness sinking in. "I should go work," Levi said. He waited for Troy to move his arm, so that he could walk away. When the hero remained where he was, Levi looked up at him, mouth set in a thin line. "Troy?"

"I get that we're not going to work out," the hero said suddenly. "But, can we at least be friends?"

"Fine," Levi said, placing his slender fingers on Troy's arm. "But I need to go now."

"Will you help me?"

Levi's gaze jerked up to Troy, as the he felt a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. He had an ominous feeling about where this was going. "Help you how?"

"Help me seduce this guy?"

''''

Sitting at the coffee shop on their break, Levi kept his nose in the newspaper as Troy stared at him.

"You said you were going to help me."

"Look at this," Levi replied, ignoring Troy as he pointed to the picture of Leviathan forcing a kiss on Triton. "Can you believe that? Triton must really hate Leviathan for hurting his pride." He inwardly cringed at how wooden and fake he sounded.

"I don't know," Troy replied. He picked up the newspaper and stared at the picture. With a smile, he looked up at Levi. "Maybe he thought it was kind of hot?"

Was he serious? Levi stared at the infuriating moron, eyebrow twitching. "Really?" he said, "Getting straddled by a…" He paused, hating himself for even saying the words, "by a… more effeminate man?"

"Don't you people call that a power bottom?" Troy deadpanned.

"How do you even know that term?" Levi squeaked, and then held up his hand. "Never mind, that's beside the point." Sighing, he leaned back in his chair as he crossed his arms as Troy stared at him with a giant smile on his face.

"I think Triton might see that as a dare," Troy said, laughing slightly at Levi's flustered expression.

"A dare?"

"Yeah," He turned the paper around, pointing at the picture. "Leviathan is clearly into it, but it's like he's daring Triton to keep going."

Levi narrowed his eyes. "I think you're reading too much into it."

"Look," Troy replied with a shrug, "Let's just say, if I was Triton, I would think it was hot." He looked at the picture again, as if he were staring at a vacation album. "Think of it this way," he said, "He's in the middle of battle, adrenaline is pumping, and he sees this guy, Leviathan, who's ready to slit his throat." He looked up at Levi to see if the villain was still following him. "And all he can think is, what would it be like to fuck a guy like that?"

Levi stared at him. "That's demented."

Laughing, Troy shook his head as he folded the newspaper up. "Maybe," he said. "It's still kind of hot, I think." With a shrug, he took a sip of his coffee. "Plus, he's got like this pit bull brother,"

"Kraken?" Levi replied.

"Yeah, Kraken. I read that he spends more time acting as Leviathan's chastity belt than doing anything villainous."

"You read that?" Leviathan replied, quirking an eyebrow. What a liar. No doubt Volt had been talking shit about them. For some reason, the superhero had been even more mocking towards Kraken and Leviathan's relationship, much more than usual. Levi sighed, as the thought brought back the memory of Volt pleading for Leviathan to tell him how to save Kraken.

"He's just protective," Levi said. "Leviathan is his kid brother. He doesn't like when Rage-"

"Rage?" Troy said, cutting him off. "Ragerous? Why do you call him Rage?" He tilted his head. "How did you know that he and Leviathan have a thing?"

"Uh," Levi replied, like a deer caught in the headlights. "I follow the hero gossip."

"That's right," Troy said, smiling at him. "I forgot that you have a thing for heroes." His smile was a bit rueful, his eyes cast downwards. Taking a long inhale, he looked back up at Levi. "We keep getting off topic," he said. "I really want your help."

"Fine," Levi replied flatly.

"Uh," Troy said, when Levi didn't continue. "I guess… do you have any tips?"

"Well," Levi tilted his face down, resting his forehead on his hand. "What's this guy like?"

"He has a bad temper, he's kind of cold, he's always trying to make trouble-"

"Stop," Levi cut him off. If this was how Troy saw him, than why was he even bothering? "What I meant was, what do you like about him?"

"I don't know him that well," Troy replied, "like I said, he reminds me of you… and when we kissed, I thought I was going to tear his clothes off right then."

"Aaah," Levi said, his eyes widening at the thought of his costume being torn to shreds right before all of the gala attendees came into the ballroom. "That's probably not a good idea, unless he wants you to." He tilted his head, a smile appearing as an idea struck. "In fact, how do you know if this guy even wants to sleep with you?"

"I don't," Troy replied, unfazed. "That's what I meant when I said that he might pose a bit of a challenge."

"Honestly," Levi said, "I think you should find someone else."

From the look on Troy's face, he could tell that he wasn't being too convincing.

'''''''''''

Sitting in the bathtub that evening, Levi let out a long sigh as he dumped a box of marine salt into the water, and sunk below the surface. Rocking his body up and down, he succeeded in getting a gentle wave lapping against his skin. As he closed his eyes, he let the water soak his hair, and breathed for what felt like the first time that day. He sat up, the water cascading down his toned chest, and reached over the side of the tub for the carton of dried seaweed he left there.

How could he deal with this? Troy seemed determined to pursue Leviathan, which in itself seemed ridiculous. The last thing Levi wanted to come off as when he was Leviathan was alluring. At the very least, he wanted to seem frightening. Sighing, he took another bite of seaweed.

He had mindlessly munched through half the box when suddenly the door to the bathroom crashed open, and Kraken stomped inside. As the elder brother started pulling his shirt off, he turned to Levi. "Make room," he growled.

So, they were both in a bad mood. Perfect. Sitting up with his legs crossed indian-style, Levi handed over a piece of seaweed as his brother splashed into the other side of the tub. His brother ignored the offering, and instead started pouring heapfuls of water over his head.

"You should add more salt next time," he said.

"Sorry," Levi replied sourly, "I didn't know I was making a bath for two."

"Give me that," Kraken said, grabbing the box of seaweed, and cramming the rest of it into his mouth. Throwing the box against the wall, he let out a yell of frustration. "We need a fucking hot tub," he said, "I'm so sick of trying to cram both our asses in here."

"If you had just waited your turn…" Levi replied quietly, biting back his annoyance at being interrupted while relaxing.

"Shut up," Kraken said, throwing a loofah at him.

"Ok," Levi replied, crossing his arms. "What bit you in the ass?"

Kraken stared at him for several seconds, his face set in a tight frown. "It's worthless," he said.

Breathing out, Levi felt a wave of disappointment hit his stomach. "The diamond?"

"Yeah," Kraken replied, hitting the water. "It's a fake."

"There goes our hot tub," Levi said, closing his eyes. "Who do you think is the liar? The guy who owned the diamond, or Rage?"

"Rage," Kraken replied. "That other guy had like, appraisers and shit to certify the diamond. Your asshole ex played us."

"Don't blame this on me," Levi said, his mind already racing to Rage's pent house in the city. He was going to go kill that bastard. When Kraken refused to look at him, Levi grabbed the sides of the tub, and stood up. "Fine," he said. "I'll go deal with this on my own."

''''''

Rage lived at the top of his office building. His penthouse was the only apartment in the building, and at night, he was the only living person around, fifty-five stories above the ground. Sitting on top of the building like an opalescent snowglobe, the roof was a magnificent glass dome which he could look out at the entire city from.

Staring at the door, fifty-five feet down, Levi wondered how he could get Rage's attention. There wasn't exactly a doorbell. Just as he was about to consider scaling the building, there was a click, and the door opened on its own. "How nice of you to visit," came Rage's voice, crackling through some unseen intercom.

Levi stepped through the deserted lobby, and headed for the elevator. When he got on, there was barely a second before the doors closed, and the car began its ascent. Trying not to fidget too much, Levi subtly glanced around, trying to see if there was a camera on him. "I can see everything," came Rage's mocking voice, as Levi's jaw tightened.

When the doors opened, Levi found himself walking directly into Rage's apartment. He had never been there, as Rage preferred to take him around to all the different five-star hotels in the city, ordering champagne from room-service before ripping each other's clothes off.

"What do you think?" Rage asked as he stepped forward, wearing nothing but satin boxers. He was gesturing widely at the glass dome, which gave a completely unobstructed view of the stars above. "I bet you wish you could fill it with water, and have yourself a little penthouse fish tank, don't you?"

Levi stared at him flatly. "You tricked me."

Appraising him for a moment, Rage "hhm'd", nodding his head as he crossed his arms. "I'm sorry about that, Leviathan," he said. "But I really needed that diamond, and I was afraid you and your brother would screw things up."

"Then why use a fake one?" Levi asked, stepping forward in anger. "Why even bother having us go after it in the first place?"

"I thought it'd make you happy," Rage replied with a shrug. "You guys haven't been doing too well lately." He gestured for Levi to come further inside, pointing at the couch. "I'll make you a drink."

Levi had always been attracted to Rage. The guy was disastrously attractive, loved causing chaos, and Kraken hated him. However, this was where the attraction ended, and Levi couldn't get over the fact that Rage would gloss over their issues, and try and manipulate Levi's emotions. Still, a drink couldn't hurt.

Sitting down, he accepted the white russian, his favorite, that Rage handed to him, and took a sip. "If we knew that you were going to keep the diamond, we wouldn't have done it."

"I know," Rage replied, sitting down next to Levi as he stretch an arm behind the villain, resting it on the back of the couch. He started to twirl a lock of Levi's hair, wrapping it around his finger. "But I figured you'd get over it, when the press kept touting your successful heist." He tugged Levi's hair a tad too tightly for comfort. "I didn't expect for those dolts down at the paper to be so enamored with your little stunt."

"It wasn't a stunt," Levi replied. "He was on top of me, I couldn't let that be what the papers published." He grabbed Rage's hand, pulling it away from his hair. "Not that's any of your business."

"None of my business?" There was a slight edge to Rage's voice. He reached for Levi, grabbing the back of the villain's head, jerking Levi's face towards him. "You think that since you have this hero sniffing at heels, you can just drop me?" His eyes narrowed. "The human too, he wants you. Don't get cocky, Leviathan. They're nothing." He made Levi look at the penthouse, "They're just a drop in the bucket compared to me."

Levi elbowed him in the chest, eliciting a loud grunt. Standing up, he turned to glare at Rage. "When did you get so vicious?" he asked, seething. Pausing, he felt another wave of anger wash over him. "And what makes you think you can talk to me like that? You're nothing either, you were just a god damn fuck buddy." He reached forward, violently grabbing the top of Rage's head. "Not to mention," he said quietly, "We were over."

Smiling coldly, Rage slammed Levi the chest, sending the villain flying across the penthouse. Landing on a rather expensive white carpet, he barely had time to groan before Rage was kneeling over him. "The affair may have been over," he said, "but I'm not done yet." Smiling, he looked down at Levi. "Can we talk? Without destroying the apartment?"

He sat down next to Levi, resting back on his hands as he stretched his long legs out. Trying to ignore how the moonlight rippled along Rage's abs, Levi bit his lip and fought to remember why he was so angry as Rage absentmindedly itched a spot one of his defined pecs. .

"What do you mean you're not done yet?" Levi asked.

Rage smiled, his chiseled face looking extraordinarily heroic outlined by the night sky. The thought would probably piss him off, Levi thought absentmindedly. "I'm thirty-two," he said suddenly, looking at Levi with a serious expression. "You're twenty-eight."

"So?" Levi replied apprehensively. There was only one direction a conversation involving ages could go.

"People are starting to judge my so-called playboy lifestyle," he said, keeping a close eye on Levi's reactions. "Important business people, people who pay attention to how stable and reliable I am as a CEO." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "And frankly, I'm getting a little tired of it myself."

"Rage, I…"

"Listen," the villain said, cutting him off. "What would you do if I gave you that diamond back?" He placed a hand over Levi's, intertwining their fingers and pulling it to his lips, placing a light kiss on Levi's hand before speaking again.

"And what if it was attached to a ring?"


	11. Volume 11!

Chapter 11

"You can't be serious."

Looking into Rage's eyes, Levi found himself fighting the urge to run. Of course, it's much better to face one's problems head on… although, one's problem doesn't usually involve a marriage proposal from an unscrupulous supervillain.

Albeit, a very sexy, very rich supervillain.

When Rage didn't respond, Levi sat up straight, his eyes narrowing. "Is this some kind of joke?" He hated jokes.

"It's an offer," Rage said. "I'm not confessing my undying love, but I admit, it would be nice to have you by my side."

Nice? Villains didn't do nice.

In all the time Levi had spent with Rage, they never spoke much. He met the millionaire through Kraken, and for awhile, they usually just teamed up for large heists. Eventually, they ran into each other by happenstance, in their human alters, and decided to go out for lunch. That quickly devolved into a romp at a nearby hotel.

"It would be a mistake," Levi said. "You could never be monogamous."

He heard the man chuckle. "Who said I would be?" There was a hand on Levi's thigh. "I mean, if you think you're enough to satisfy me, you can certainly try."

"That's…" Levi was going to say 'selfish' but he hated being needlessly redundant. They both knew that Rage had several partners, all of whom were villains. Having the pleasure of running into one a few months back, Levi had called off the affair. He did not fight for attention, he had his pride after all. "Why don't you ask someone else from your harem?"

"Levi," Rage replied, in a soft, placating tone. Sitting up, he got to his knees, and turned to face Levi, pulling the shorter man towards him by the waist. "Don't be childish…"

Lips pressing together in a thin line, Levi tensed as he pulled away from Rage. "I suppose you think that being a condescending prick will somehow make me say yes?"

Rage laughed, his eyes glittering with amusement. His laughter was loud, a ruckus bellow that usually made the people around him start laughing too. Watching Rage's tan, muscular body shake with mirth, Levi tamped down the growing annoyance in the pit of his stomach. "Don't look so serious," Rage said, wiping a tear away from his eye. "You just end up looking like a pissed-off kitten."

Keeping still, Levi stared at him disbelievingly. Kraken was the one who couldn't show self-restraint, but Levi was seriously considering throwing Rage against his precious glass dome. "I'm a kitten?" he hissed, "because I don't want your fucking marriage of convenience?" The corner of his mouth slid up as his green eyes went cold.

"Well," he said, as he started to run his hand up his toned abdomen, lifting his shirt so that Rage could see his pale skin, "Fair is fair, right? I guess I'll have to find a few more fuck buddies of my own." Smiling when he saw Rage's expression darken, he lifted the shirt further until his entire chest was exposed, revealing two pert nipples, and a delicate collar bone. "I'm sure there's some superhero out there who would love hate-fucking me."

This was the last straw, and he probably should have known better. Lunging forward with blazing eyes, Rage landed on top of Levi, knocking him on his back. Levi heard a faint growl, and looked up to see that Rage had altered his form slightly, teeth sharpening, and ridges growing along his spine. "Superhero?" Rage said quietly, "You would let a superhero taint you?"

"Get off, you ingrain," Levi hissed, shoving at the larger villain. When Rage refused to budge, Levi stopped struggling and glared up at him. "What now? What are you going to do now?"

"I have half a mind to take you now," Rage replied, snarling.

Despite himself, Levi started laughing. "You're nothing but an egotistical fool," he said. "This is why I would never marry you." Even the word seemed ridiculous, marriage for villains? Levi couldn't fathom where Rage got the idea from.

He felt a slight hint of trepidation when Rage didn't respond. The villain was pressing down on his chest, ripping Levi's shirt slightly with his growing claws. "Can't you just be obedient?" Rage said, his voice straining. Wincing, Levi bit his lip when he felt Rage's claws dig into his skin.

When Rage noticed the blood, he quickly sat up. "I thought we had a good thing, Levi," he said, almost sadly. "I liked you the most, I consider you a friend."

Levi snorted. "Do friends do this to each other?" Refusing to look at the man straddling him, he kept his eyes trained on the view of the city outside of the dome. His life had been so much more simple when he kept everyone at arm length, and spent all his time with Kraken. When Rage didn't say anything, he finally looked up. The villain was staring down at Levi's slender form with a calculating gaze.

"Maybe not friends, then," Rage said, "but there's no doubt that you belong to me."

''''

"Can I ask you something?"

After several minutes of searching through HQ, the main base for the Legion of Heroes, Troy had finally managed to find his cousin. Volt was lounging in the cafeteria, languidly flipping through a magazine as he munched on a bowl of cereal. "What?" he asked absent-mindedly, turning another page.

"Have superheroes and villains ever had… relations?"

Volt stopped mid page turn, his gaze barely moving from the magazine. "Why?"

"I don't know," Troy said, grabbing the chair across from Volt, and sitting down. "I just wanted to know if.. Like, it's possible?"

Finally looking up at him, Volt's expression was blank as he considered his cousin. "I've heard of it," he said, "but, from what I've seen, it's usually a one-sided thing."

"You know someone who likes a villain?" Troy replied, his eyes going wide. Maybe he could talk to this person. He needed to know how to even get close to Leviathan without the villain taring his head off. At the thought of another rough-and-tumble showdown with Leviathan, he felt the blood start to rush down to his groin, and with a cough, tried to focus on what his cousin was saying.

"I…" Volt seemed hesitant. "I do know of someone." He sighed when Troy continued to stare at him, waiting for a name. "Let me tell you this, Triton," he said with as stern a voice as he could muster. "It's a bad idea."

"Why?"

Tapping his fingers on the table, he cursed Troy's persistent personality. "They're bad guys, it's more than likely that you'll get your dick bit off as they're going down on you."

Troy blushed at the thought of Leviathan's lips wrapped around him, as he ran his hand through the villain's raven black hair.

"You're totally not hearing what I'm saying, are you?" Volt said, watching Troy with a skeptical expression.

Pushing away his fantasy, Troy shook his head. "I did," he said, "but I can't believe it would never work out… at least hooking up?" He leaned forward excitedly. "Most of the time in battle, we're tight up against each other, touching each other, how can not a single villain get hot from that?"

"You're perverted," Volt said with a smile, as he relaxed slightly. "You should be glad that no villain can hear what you're saying." His smile faltered as a thought came to him. "You're not talking about a specific villain, are you?"

"I think you know who," Troy said, a satisfied glint in his eye. "I want him, pretty badly."

"I thought you were straight," Volt replied quietly. There was a slight trace of anger in his voice.

Troy paused, a little taken aback at Volt's rapid change of mood. Had what he said been that blasphemous? Sure, he had always pushed that he was completely on the straight and narrow, but… he probably had been fooling himself.

"So what?" he said, a little indignantly, "Maybe I'm bi."

"Don't do this," Volt said, leaning forward. "I already have it hard enough with-"

He was cut off by both of their alarms going off simultaneously. Standing up, the two heroes reached into their pockets, and pulled out the beepers, and stared at the tiny screens.

"A Home Depot?" Troy said, his eyebrows rising.

''''

"What the fuck are we doing?"

Ignoring his brother, Leviathan continued to stare around the corner of the alleyway they were hiding in, keeping a close watch on the ATM across the street. He felt Kraken poke him in the shoulder, and let out an annoyed hiss. "What?" he said irritably, glancing back at his brother.

"You better have a damn good reason for dragging me out here-"

"I do," Leviathan cut in, and gestured at the ATM, "Easy money."

Kraken stared at Leviathan, his mouth hanging open in disbelief. "You want to bust an ATM?" he asked, grabbing Leviathan's arm. "Are you ok?"

When Leviathan didn't respond, and continued to stare across the street, Kraken jerked him around, causing the other villain to snarl at him. "What?" Leviathan repeated, his eyes narrowed.

"Have you forgotten who we are?" Kraken growled back, not the least bit intimidated by his younger brother. "We're supervillains! We do bad things for the fame," he looked over Leviathan's shoulder across the street. "We do not resort to petty crime, just for cash."

"Look," Leviathan replied, leaning in with a hushed tone. "Our diamond is fake, Rage is threatening me, I have a superhero trying to fuck me, and you keep bitching about a god damn hot tub. Well, this money will get you a fucking hot tub!"

Kraken stared at him. "Oh."

"Forget it," Leviathan replied, shaking off his brother's grip from his arm. As he started to turn to leave, Kraken stopped him.

"Why don't we just steal a hot tub?" Looking back, Leviathan considered this for a moment, and then nodded.

They ran at break neck speed towards the big box store area of Capitalia, where the city was just breaking off into suburbs. Passing all the fast food joints, Wal-Mart, and several other shopping centers, they finally came up Home Depot. With a laugh, both brothers jumped to the roof, and came crashing through the ceiling. The entire building was dark, except for the moonlight streaming through the newly formed hole in the roof.

When they reached the hot tubs, both villains smiled at the multitude on display. There were even some saunas attached.

"I kind of want a koi pond," Leviathan said, his eyes inching towards the gardening section of the store.

"You'll just end up eating them," Kraken replied, scanning the model description of one of the hot tubs.

Leviathan 'harrumphed', sliding his hand down the interior of the nicest tub. "This is good," he said, admiring the built-in seats. Climbing in, he sat down and stretched his legs out. "We definitely could fit in this."

"The marine salt would ruin that fancy jet system," Kraken grumbled, as he inspected one of the more utilitarian tubs.

"Then we might as well get a fish tank," Leviathan snapped back as he started messing with the buttons on the control panel. "Can't we have at least one nice thing?" When Kraken ignored him, he let out a hiss of frustration, and climbed out of the tub. "I'm going to go look at the koi ponds," he said. Kraken shrugged with indifference.

Walking out to the gardening section, he ran his hand over the pots of moss, enjoying the springy freshness of the plants. Despite their attitudes, he was grateful that Kraken let him drag the villain out in the middle of the night. After he had left Rage's apartment, he had the uncontrollable urge to do some villainy.

What would Kraken say if he knew about Rage's proposal? Levi smiled ruefully. What would Kraken do if he knew Rage had decided Leviathan belonged to him?

Kneeling down, he dipped his hand into the display pond, sighing as the cold water enveloped his fingers. Rage was fool if he thought something like that would work. For one thing, he wanted the marriage so that he would seem more stable in front of his human alter's superiors. How would Levi be able to help with that? Was he supposed to act like a trophy wife?

Laughing at the thought, his hand jerked forward purely on instinct as he grabbed a koi. He quickly let it go, and withdrew his hand from the water. Kraken was probably right, he would just end up eating the fish like a wild creature.

He asked Kraken once, why they didn't just return to the sea and live out their lives in their monster forms. "Because this is who we are," Kraken replied, "This is our natural state." They weren't human, but they weren't sea creatures. The monsters inside them were the seeds from which their souls formed, but they were ancient beings, apart from who Kraken and Leviathan were.

"If we did that," Kraken had said, "then eventually we would disappear, and the monsters would take over." Kraken had the benefit of being raised in the sea, and he knew so much more than Leviathan did, knew so much more about their heritage.

A sound broke Leviathan of his reverie. Standing up, he looked around the darkened gardening center, trying to make out if something was in there with him. He couldn't smell his brother, but there was something familiar about the scent.

"Triton," he said, his eyes narrowing.

Stepping out of the darkness, Triton appeared with spear and chain in hand. "Bingo," he said, an easy smile on his face. This could only mean that Volt had gone after Kraken. "We haven't fought in a couple of days," the hero said, "I have to say, you've been on my mind."

Leviathan's eyebrow raised, but before he spoke, he realized why Triton was being so cheesy. Stepping forward, he decided that he would have to break the young hero of any illusion that they would ever sleep together. "I'm glad I got under your skin," Leviathan said with smirk, and then winced. Why, why, why was he flirting? Idiot.

He heard a chuckle, and realized that Triton was no longer standing where he had been. Turning around, he quickly stepped into the shadows, and waited for movement. "When we were on the beach," he heard Triton say from somewhere, "Did you know it was me when I helped you?"

Bristling at Triton's smug tone, Levi crouched lower and scanned the darkness. He wanted to beat the shit out of the kid. "Yes."

"So, heroes can be good for some things, right?"

There it was, a flash from Triton's silver rope. Lunging forward, Leviathan knocked Triton to the ground, but paused with a snarl when he realized that the hero was letting Leviathan straddle him, arms held above his head. "We can be good for a lot of things," Triton said, with a self-satisfied grin.

"Oh really?" Leviathan replied, his lip curling with disdain. "What sort of things?"

"Mmm," Triton said, pausing, as if to think. "Humans like getting flown around. Sometimes we do charity rides." Looking up, he winked at Leviathan. "You wanna ride?" He thrust his hips up, sending Leviathan rocking forward, their faces coming within inches. As Leviathan stared down into Triton's ocean blue eyes, he bared his teeth in a hiss when the hero suddenly grabbed his arms, pulling him closer. There was a sincerity in Triton's voice as he said, "I could make you feel really good."

Leviathan was speechless, he had never imagined that Triton would directly proposition him. In fact, he had been secure in thinking that the hero would try a few awkward insinuations, and then give up.

"If you want the control," Triton said suddenly, "I heard that some bottoms like to uh… ride on top, when it happens."

Despite himself, Leviathan let out a snort. The puppy was trying to be accommodating?

"That's generous," he said, sarcasm lacing his tone. Sitting up, he ran his hand through his hair. "What makes you think I bottom?" When he didn't hear a response, he looked back down at his voluntary captive. Triton was staring at him with wide eyes, a blush blooming on his chiseled face.

"I really want to fuck you," he said. His hands had wandered to Leviathan's hips, gripping on to the villain has he timidly let his fingers brush over the slope of Leviathan's ass. "I mean, I guess I could, well… do you really not bottom?"

Of course he did, he loved it. But he wasn't going to tell Triton that. "I do not."

"Rage likes it up the ass?"

Jumping up, Leviathan took several steps back. This time, it was his turn to blush. "How did you…"

"He was there," Triton replied, sitting up. "At the beach." He got to his feet, and took a step towards Leviathan. "Look," he said, holding up his hand. "I'm not asking for a date, or anything. I just thought we could give each other some mutual enjoyment."

Honestly, it was like teaching a child. "And how do you suggest dealing with the fact that we're archenemies?"

Triton smiled. "Keep business and pleasure separate?"

"And your cousin? And my brother?"

"We don't tell them." Triton took another step forward. His blonde hair hung in shags around his head, his muscles clearly defined through the latex of his outfit. Fighting the urge to seriously consider the distractingly handsome man's offer, Leviathan held up a hand to stop Triton from coming any closer.

"That's enough," he said. "It's never going to happen."

"Never?" Triton replied, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Are you sure about that?"

Just as he stepped towards Leviathan, the villain summoned Sea Fang. Not noticing the blade, Triton playfully grabbed Leviathan's waist and pulled him in. He gasped out in pain as the villain sunk the blade into his side. Looking down, he watched the blood drip down his leg. Blinking, he looked back up at Leviathan. The villain found himself paralyzed by the hurt expression in Triton's gaze.

Grabbing the blade, the superhero pulled it out, and threw it across the room. Turning back to Leviathan, his eyes were now heated by a more determined fire. "An eye for an eye," he said with a rueful smile, grabbing the back of Leviathan's head and bringing their lips together like a vice.

Leviathan shuddered with surprise when Triton forced his tongue in, claiming the villain's mouth. The hero's strong hand moved down to the small of Leviathan's back, pulling the villain even closer as Triton loomed over him. The warmth of his kiss was staggering.

Rallying himself, Leviathan kneed Triton in the spot where Sea Fang had cut, and backed away gasping for air as the hero doubled over in pain. "What is wrong with you?" Leviathan asked between breaths.

"You tried to kill me!" Triton looked up at him, glowering.

"So, you take it personally?" Leviathan replied, eyebrow raised. "We're arch-fucking-enemies!" They continued to glare at each other, their heartbeats racing in time.

Straightening up, Leviathan looked back towards the main store. He had spent too much time playing chicken with Triton, and he still hadn't heard from Kraken. Turning to the hero, he tried to keep himself from spitting with anger. "If you like someone, you little pest," he said, "then you try to seduce them. You don't fucking explain sex positions to them." He leaned down, and grabbed Triton's hair, forcing the hero to look up at him. "You certainly don't try to force anything."

"I want to fuck you," Triton replied, a shadow of his smirk returning. "Oh sorry, I mean, I want seduce you."

"You persistent little-"

He was cut off by a crashing sound from the main building. Dropping Triton, he sped towards the hot tub section.

The area was a reck. Looking around, Leviathan could only find a trail of destruction. He quickly followed it, hoping that he could hear something else, and cringed when he heard his brother yell out with frustration.

"Volt!" Kraken screamed, "Stop acting like a little pussy, and come down here!"

The superhero had been zipping over head, leading Kraken on a wild goose chase. After several turns around the store, the villain had resorted to throwing everything in sight at Volt. "Is this what they taught you in hero school?" he yelled, "because it makes you look like a god damn coward."

"What about you?" Volt replied with a laugh. "Stealing hot tubs, that's what you've come to?"

Leviathan ignored the yelling, and ran up to his raging brother. "We need to go," he said. "I've reached the end up my rope with these two."

Staring at his brother's flushed lips, Kraken's face went red. "What the fuck did he do to you?" Rolling his eyes, Leviathan grabbed Kraken's wrist and started to drag him towards the exit of the store.

"I must say," he yelled over his shoulder. "All in all, you've been failing pretty badly at protecting my honor."

''''

"Are you sure about this?"

Leviathan placed his hands on his hips, and stared dubiously at his brother. It was a few days after the run in at Home Depot, and Kraken had been obsessed with finding a way to restore their image. "Yes," he said. "The paper said a prized artifact would be transfered into this building."

"Why would they publish tha-" He stopped talking when he noticed something on the opposite side of the roof they were standing on. "Kraken."

"What?"

"Look."

His brother turned around, and narrowed his eyes as he tried to comprehend what he was looking at.

It was a hot tub. With a giant red bow attached to it.

Walking towards it with hesitation, both brothers half expected the thing to blow up. When they reached the hot tub, Leviathan reached down and grabbed a card tied to the bow. Opening it up, they leaned forward to read the contents.

Morons-

We know how to take care of our villains :)

"Those little fuckers-" Leviathan began to growl, but stopped when he noticed Kraken. "What are you doing?"

His brother was lifting the hot tub over his head. "What?" Kraken said. "It's free, ain't it?"

"They did this to make fun of us," Leviathan replied, waving the card around.

"So, they get what they want if we freak out, right?" Kraken replied. "What the fuck do I give? I just got a hot tub."

Leviathan stared at him. "You're unbelievable."

"Thank you," Kraken replied, "Now, let's get this thing home."

Considering the hot tub, Leviathan entertained the idea of smashing it to smithereens, but refrained. At least this meant he wouldn't have to share salt baths with Kraken anymore.

"Fine," he said. "But you have to write the thank you note."


	12. Volume 12!

Volume 12!

"So, I don't think he likes me."

Levi looked up from the stack of books he was shelving, to find Troy standing over him. With a sigh, he resumed working. "This is a bookstore, not a helpline. I have work to do." Crouching down, he shoved in another book.

With a shrug, Troy kneeled down next to him, and joined in on the organizing. He laughed when Levi huffed, shoved Troy out of the way, and rearranged several of the books Troy had shelved. Sitting back against the opposite stack, he watched as Levi studiously ignored him. "You have to give me some advice."

"I really don't."

"Levi!"

Looking over his shoulder, raven hair falling into his green eyes, he found Troy pouting at him. "You are such a child."

Troy grinned, his white teeth almost blinding Levi. "Does that make me cute?"

"I don't like children."

"You always have such a stick up your ass," Troy replied. Reaching forward, he wrapped his arms around Levi, and started tickling the older man under the armpits. Levi jerked backwards, tumbling over the books, and landing in Troy's lap. He let out a low hiss.

"Let go of me, you ingrate."

"Nope." Hands moving across Levi's body, Troy took the opportunity to feel Levi up, appreciating the smaller man's lithe body. Looming forward, his fingers ran all the way up Levi's chest. For tickling purposes, of course.

When he finally heard the faint strains of giggling coming from Levi's tightly closed lips, he let the smaller man go. Levi elbowed his way out of Troy's lap, and turned on the man with barely contained irritation. In fact, it wasn't contained at all.

"If that's how you tried to seduce the guy, then I can see why you failed."

Troy smiled at him. "Then tell me how, oh masterful all-knowing gay."

Lips thinning, Levi was about to start cursing at the kid when a new idea sprang up. "Leave him alone."

Raising an eyebrow, Troy cocked his head. "What?"

"Play hard to get," Levi replied, "I'm sure he'll come chasing after you." What a brilliant plan! He really was a mastermind …but he refrained from cackling evilly. He sat back against the stacks opposite of Troy, their legs criss-crossing in the aisle. "Trust me, make him come to you." he said. There may have been an evil smile, at the very least.

"It's not that I don't trust you," Troy said, holding up a hand. "But, you don't know this guy."

Levi closed his eyes. "Then tell me about him."

"He's grouchy, violent, and has a major brother complex."

Brother complex? What did that mean? Narrowing his eyes, Levi brushed his hair behind his ears. "I can see why you like him so much," he drawled.

"I already told you, I like him because he reminds me of you."

Troy was watching him with a unreadable expression, perhaps waiting for Levi to react. Appraising the young man, Levi had to admit that Troy was handsome, well-built, and charming in a boyish way… but there wasn't anything there he couldn't get from some villain.

"Something tells me you need to find a new type."

Smiling, Troy looked down at his hands. "How can I find a new type when I haven't even gotten anywhere with my current type?" He looked back up at Levi, his blue eyes sparkling. "You know," he said, "You don't talk too much about your boyfriend." Leaning forward, he inched closer to the smaller man. "Maybe you could use a new type?"

"I don't," Levi replied flatly.

Shrugging, Troy sat back with a sigh. "I want to say, for the record, that I don't usually strike out so badly." He paused, playing with his shoelace. "Anyway," he said, "If it's not going to be you, then I want it to be this other guy."

"What is 'it'?" Levi replied, his eyebrows rising.

"You know," Troy said, the gleam back in his eye. "Men. I've never had sex with a man before."

And yet he was so confident. "You're attractive," Levi said, "A lot of guys would hook up with you. I have to say, going after someone who isn't interested-"

"That's what makes it fun, right?" Troy cut in. He was obviously determined. Opening his mouth to speak, he stopped suddenly as something seemed to faze him. "Wait," he said, "How many guys have you slept with?"

"Oh, fuck off." Turning around, Levi resumed shelving books. He was not going to play the numbers game with this kid. There was a light chuckle behind him, as Troy scooted forward, and leaned back into Levi's eyesight.

"I bet you're pretty popular at the gay bars."

"Why is that?"

"Aloofness. People always want what they can't have."

Levi looked at him. "How perceptive," he drawled. Shoving another book in, he tilted his head. "Somehow, you don't think that applies to you? With this guy?"

"Oh, I know it does," Troy replied. "He's not interested in me because I'm a good guy."

Levi snorted. Well, it was true. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, he's been going out with this vil- this asshole," Troy said.

Ignoring Troy's slip-up, Levi continued to shelve books. The kid was testing his patience. He had never met a villain, nor a hero who could so easily make a mistake like referring to their alter-lives. Revealing their identities to humans is the most stupid mistake a superpowered individual could make. Biting his lip, Levi fought the urge to start lecturing the young hero about secrets.

"So, he's into bad boys," Levi said.

Nodding, Troy rested his head against the bookcase. "What would I need to do to get his attention?"

Levi couldn't resist. Turning to Troy, he smiled. "You could become a bad boy?"

''''''''

"We've been invited to VillainCon."

"As speakers?"

Levi heard his brother snort, and turned his head. "What?"

They were lounging in their duplex, Levi reading a book, and Kraken sitting at the kitchen table devouring a hamburger. As he stuffed another bite into his mouth, he shrugged, and then spoke again as bits of food came flying out. "Why would they want us as speakers?"

"We're ancient villains," Levi replied, stretching around and placing his arm on the back of the chair. "Heritage and all that."

Kraken looked at him. "We haven't pulled off a goddamn evil plan since you were-" he paused, and looked down at his plate.

"We've done alright," Levi replied, trying not acknowledge his brother's disappointment. Had the previous Leviathan been a masterful villain? Levi had heard of the many capers Kraken and his twin pulled off in the beginning of their career, before Leviathan was killed. Silence clogged the room like fog, suffocating them. "We could try to do something really bad before VillainCon."

"Like what?"

Levi tapped the armrest. "We could destroy city hall."

"It's been done," Kraken replied, "besides, HQ keeps a hero-watch on it twenty-four seven."

Eyes widening, Levi grinned as he turned fully around, resting on the back of the chair as he looked at Kraken. "We could attack HQ."

"And die?"

Levi deflated, and leaned back on his haunches. "Well…"

"Don't strain yourself," Kraken said. He sat back with a burp. "Who gives a shit about VillainCon, anyway?"

"It would be nice to have some credibility," Levi replied. Cocking his head, a thought came to him, but he wondered how Kraken would react. "We could… get revenge." He flinched when his brother sent him a suspicious look.

"Revenge for what?"

"For Leviathan."

There was a hint of something simmering under the surface, which was strange enough, considering everyone knew there wasn't much going on under Kraken's surface. His gaze flattened, making Levi realize that even his brother had something to hide. "There's no point."

"Why not?" Levi asked. "You never told me who did it."

"It doesn't matter," Kraken said. "He's been gone for ages." When this obviously didn't appease his little brother, Kraken sighed. "I looked for him, ok? I was going to kill the bastard. But… you showed up, and it was a little hard taking care of a baby, and seeking vengeance at the same time."

"I'm not a baby now," Levi said.

Kraken snapped, standing up with a slam of the chair. "You listen to me, you little smart-ass," he said, his voice shaking. "If that bastard could kill Leviathan, than he sure as hell could break you in half."

After a moment of silence, Levi couldn't help but smirk. "You're worried about me."

"Shut up." Kraken sat back down, and continued to eat his hamburger.

Levi watched his brother's hulking form, his multi-colored hawaiian shirt, his bulging muscles, and wondered once again why they were so different. Even if Levi was raised by an old woman, Kraken was always there, grouching about how small his brother was, how weak he looked, how very delicate he was. Kraken never let Levi do anything remotely dangerous, not until he was in his late teens, and even then, all Levi could do was watch.

"You're babying me," he grumbled, turning back in his seat.

"That's it." He heard a shuffle, and then Kraken was looming over him. "You want to do some villainy? Then let's go."

'''''''

They stood on the rooftop of an office building very close to their target. Looking out, Levi could just make out the inside of Rage's glass dome penthouse. "You know me so well," he said. "But isn't it against the rules to attack another villain?"

"Villains have rules?" Kraken replied with a growl. He was staring at the office building, his jaw tight. Sliding his gaze over to his little brother, he said, "Besides, he attacked you first."

"Yeah, but…" Levi replied. Truth be told, he was a little pissed at how Rage treated him. His jacket fluttering in the wind, he stood rigidly as he examined the building. What would Rage do to them if they attacked his alter's life? He wouldn't be able to defend the building, but he certainly would be able to reveal their secret personalities.

Just as Levi was about to calculating the risk, they heard a boom behind them. "Speak of the devil," Kraken said, turning around. Levi looked, and his mouth tightened in a thin line. Ragerous Rex was stomping through the city, amid screams of terror, as he swung his tail into every building he could reach. They could see the fire in his eyes from blocks away.

"Wonder what got him pissed," Kraken said, looking pointedly at Levi from the corner of his eye.

Before Levi could respond, they both winced as Rage roared. "TRITON!" the monster screamed, "COME OUT COME OUT WHERE EVER YOU ARE!"

"Shit," Levi said. Maybe he could get to Rage before the heroes did? Get him to calm down? As he took a step forward, there was a hand on his shoulder.

"He's not our ally anymore."

Turning on Kraken, he glared. "I know that," he hissed, "but heroes? We won't help against heroes?" When Kraken shrugged, he seethed as he turned back around to watch the mayhem. Rage, that arrogant asshole. A loud crack sounded out, and Levi sighed. The calvary had arrived.

They watched as Volt and Triton flew over Rage's head like vultures, taunting the monster. Immediately, Rage started swatting at them with his enormous claws, rearing upwards with his teeth gnashing. Gritting his teeth, Levi closed his when he saw Triton's spear sink into the monster's arm.

"We're helping," he said, grabbing his brother's arm. Kraken looked at him, but shrugged, and they took off in a flash, jumping over rooftops. Feeling the wind whipping at his ears, Leviathan pressed his muscles to move him even faster. Even if Rage was a deluded asshole, he had still helped the brothers out of numerous james. They owed him one.

Kraken ran alongside him, clearly displeased. "He was looking for them," he growled. "He wanted this fight."

Ignoring him, Leviathan kept running at breakneck pace. As they reached the battle, Rage was twirling around in mounting fury, losing sight of himself. Leviathan could recognize the signs of the monster taking over the man.

Volt saw them first, stopping in the air as he watched Kraken and Leviathan run up. "Ah," he said with a smirk. "The dynamic duo." Crossing his arms, he cocked his head. "This isn't really your fight, now is it?"

Letting his brother deal with the arrogant prick, Leviathan jumped off the edge of the building, and landed on Rage's shoulder. "What are you doing?" he hissed. There was a rumble all the way up from the monster's chest as Rage let out another growl.

"Teaching that little nitwit a lesson."

Leviathan looked over at Triton, who was floating in the air, spear in hand, as the hero watched the two villains. "You're spinning," Levi said, "I've never seen you lose control like this."

There was a faint laughter in his head. "You should be more worried about yourself."

Without warning, Rage reached to his shoulder, and grabbed Levi. He brought the villain around to his face, staring at Leviathan with cold, reptilian eyes. From this angle, Leviathan could count every single one of the villain's teeth. "Let go of me, I came here to help you!"

"Help me?" Rage smirked, a crocodile smile in every sense of the word. "The only thing that you could do to help me is put that goddamn ring on your finger."

Levi let out a hiss as Rage's grip tightened on him, the villain's giant claws digging into his back. Of course, his brother had been right. Rage was no longer their ally. "Fuck you," he said. Without warning, Rage dipped his claw straight into Levi's skin, gauging him. Letting out a scream, he bent over in pain as his vision flashed white. Rage was too strong.

"Kraken…" Breathing heavily, he looked around for his brother, and saw that Kraken was some distance off, caught in a battle with Volt. When the older brother heard Leviathan's pleading tone, he zoomed past the hero, and started jumping back towards the injured villain.

Laughing, Rage swung his arm around, about to smash Leviathan into a building, when something grabbed on to his limb. Leviathan looked over to fine Triton had lassoed Rage with his silver chain. Pulling it tightly, Triton smirked when he saw a trail of blood drip along the lines. Rage hissed in pain, reflexively letting go of Leviathan.

Well. He was dropping. Watching as the cement rushed to introduce itself to his face, Leviathan sighed. He could try to angle around, and land on his feet, but they would crumple out from underneath him. The pain emanating from his back was almost too much to handle. Just as he was about to apologize to Kraken for depriving him of another brother, Leviathan felt himself being caught in someone's arms. Looking up, he grimaced.

"Howdy," Volt said, his eyes gleaming. "Quite the damsel, aren't we?"

Better not speak, Leviathan thought, while he has you careening through the air. They landed on the pavement a distance away from Rage, who was still roaring with anger. Trying to break free of Volt's grasp, Leviathan was genuinely shocked when the hero wouldn't let him go. There was a 'thud', and suddenly Kraken was before them, standing in a crater he made from landing.

"Give him to me," Kraken said, not playing any games. His voice had a level of seriousness that Leviathan had never heard before.

"You let your little baby brother get hurt," Volt replied, still cradling the injured villain in his arms. "What kind of man are you?"

He was speaking in his usual joking manner, not malicious at all, however something seemed to snap in Kraken. Stepping forward, his eyes darkened as his teeth began to elongate. "Put me down, you idiot." Levi said, elbowing Volt.

Volt didn't seem to be paying attention. His usually care-free face had a slight tint of annoyance tugging at it's features. Taking a step back to match Kraken's advancement, he let out an exaggerated sigh. "You know, he's not like your twin. He's much smarter. Leviathan got himself killed."

Jerking his expression up to Volt, Leviathan arced his arm out and scratched the hero. As Volt was distracted, the villain clambered to the ground, and limped over to Kraken. When he looked back at Volt, the hero was standing still, a hand covering his wound. A rueful smile was playing on his lips.

Before Leviathan could say anything, the earth seemed to rock as something catapulted straight into the road, sending shock-waves through the cement. "Shit!" Volt said, running over to find Triton smashed into the ground, blooding dripping from his head.

"Leviathan,"

He ignored Rage, tugging on Kraken for them to leave. When he heard Triton groan, he paused. His back ached like hell… but the kid looked like death was knocking on his door. With a sigh, Leviathan turned to his brother, who recognized the look in his eyes.

"No."

"We don't have time to argue," Leviathan yelled, "Rage is our problem too." He shoved Kraken against the chest. "Unless you want him as a brother-in-law?"

"Brother-in-what?" Kraken sputtered, his eyes going wide. Without waiting for a response, he turned towards the giant beast, and started running. Volt saw him speed past, and took the sky without hesitation. Mouth dropping, Leviathan found himself staring with fascination as the villain and superhero started working in tandem.

Volt was distracting Rage by throwing thunder bolts around the monster's head, while Kraken started scaling the beast's enormous body. Hearing another groan, Leviathan remembered that Triton was still collapsed in the ditch. He walked over, and slid down the dirt until he reached the superhero. Kneeling down, he brushed away the blood on the kid's forehead.

"Don't be so nice," the kid mumbled, opening his unfocused eyes. "It's not sexy."

"My apologies," Leviathan replied, sitting back on his haunches. He reached around to feel his own injury, and was relieved that it was healing already. As his eyes moved back to Triton, he found that the hero was watching him.

"Actually," Triton said, grinning with bloodied teeth, "If you're in the generous mood, I wouldn't mind a kiss."

Levi frowned as a car flew over head. "I could kill you now."

"But that wouldn't be fun," Triton replied, wincing as he shifted slightly.

"Depends on your idea of fun."

There was a pause. Triton was studying him. "You have a comeback for everything, don't you?" Coughing, blood started to dribble down his chin.

"Why aren't you healing?" Leviathan stared at the hero's injuries with suspicion. Laughing, Triton tried to sit up, only to let out another groan of pain as he sank back down into the dirt. They could hear the sounds of battle outside of the ditch, but everything was calm in their little hole.

"I do," he said. "Just not quickly." His blue eyes were sparkling with mirth, but Leviathan could clearly see the pain behind them. Not that he cared. He inched forward.

"Why do you want a kiss?" he asked, ignoring the warning bells in his head. The hero just looked so deliciously… pure, lying there in his righteous blood. There was a convenient rip in the kid's costume, right on the chest, giving Leviathan a clear view of Triton's sweaty, golden pecs.

"I'm not sure," Triton said, "you'll have to do it so I can find out."

Cheeky.

Leviathan considered him, and, in what he realized was his biggest mistake, decided to kiss the downed soldier. Leaning forward, he placed his hand against Triton's heaving chest, and placed his lips against the man's warm mouth.

And that's when everything started flashing.

''''

The bookstore was dark. Which is exactly what he wanted.

Staring down at the daily tabloid, Levi let out another groan. 'STAR CROSSED LOVERS? ILL-FATED FROM THE START!" read the headline, screaming up at him with glee. Right there, on the front page, was a full-colored image of him kissing that goddamn superhero. The article detailed how Leviathan's first kiss with Triton was just the start, and now it was clear that they were in love. Nowhere did they mention how Kraken and Volt had finally subdued Rage, who slunk off to lick his wounds somewhere.

Levi set the paper down beside him, and rested his head back against the stacks. At least here, in the empty store, he would be left alone.

"Hey." Or not. He opened his eyes to see Troy standing over him, sporting a black eye. From the way the boy winced as he sat across from Levi, his injuries had clearly not healed yet. "What're you doing here?"

"Alone time," Levi drawled.

Troy ignored him, and picked up the tabloid. He didn't say anything.

"I guess they're in love," Levi said. Troy snorted, and set down the paper.

"Speaking of which," he said, "I kissed that guy."

Levi quirked an eyebrow. "And?"

"And…" Troy said, blushing behind his bruised face. "I thought of you."

Ignoring this, Levi crossed his arms. "You look a bit… injured."

Troy self-conciously brought his hand to his face, and smiled. "Ah, yeah," he said. "I got into a bar fight." His eyes rose to meet Levi's, the darkness of the store closing in around them like a shell. Leaning forward, Troy brushed a strand of Levi's hair out of his eyes. They stayed like that for a moment, frozen in time. "So, does that make me a bad boy?"

Slowly, Troy brushed his thumb down Levi's face, winding up at the villain's lips. "That's what you like, right?," he said, "Dangerous guys?"

"I broke up with my boyfriend," Levi replied quickly. Drawing his knees up to his chin, Levi closed his eyes. Why did he say that?

Immediately, Troy was closer to him. "Really?" the boy said breathlessly, "Does that mean…" He didn't wait for answer. Tilting Levi's face up with his hand, he leaned forward and placed his lips against the villain's, his warm tongue diligently seeking entry.

Well, he was certainly less pushy than Rage. Levi sighed, and allowed himself to be gently pushed to the ground, as Troy lumbered over him. The hero stared down at him with clear blue eyes. "Can I take your clothes off?"

Placing a hand over his mouth, Levi tried to keep from snorting. The kid sure was cute. He must have taken Levi's silence as a yes, because he was already unbuttoning the villain's shirt. With each button, Troy's eyes roamed Levi's slender form; his pale skin, and his pink nipples. "You're so fit," the hero said, sounding surprised. He ran a finger down Levi's taut muscles.

"What did you expect?" Levi replied, breathing in as the hero started sucking on his skin.

Troy paused, and smiled up at Levi. "I wasn't expecting anything," he said, "but I certainly imagined a lot." As he straddled the villain, he sat up and pulled his shirt off. Levi couldn't help gawking at the hero's buff physique, every muscle clearly outlined. There were still a few faded injuries.

"Bar fight, huh?" he said, trailing his hand down a scar running along the hero's abs. Troy grabbed the hand, and placed it against his heart.

"Levi," he said, serious all of a sudden. "Could you ever like, really like me?"

Ignoring the cheesy gesture, Levi was actually fazed by Troy's expression. "I don't know," he said, searching for words. "Maybe if you weren't so… nice?" Levi was a villain, he liked other villains… he couldn't possibly like someone who rescued people, right?

"I could be mean," Troy replied, leaning down and capturing Levi's mouth in a passionate kiss. The villain tried to keep from laughing when the hero started nibbling on his bottom lip. This was the hero's idea of mean-

Levi's thoughts were cut off as Troy slipped his hand down the villain's pants, and ripped the fly. Without waiting for a response, the hero tugged the pants down with one pull, and had the villain's legs up against his shoulders with another fluid movement. "Don't let my boy-next-door good looks fool you," he said with an impish grin, "I certainly know how to play rough."

He loomed over Levi, bending the villain as he did so, leaving Levi's ass pressed firmly against his crotch. With another kiss, he winked at the smaller man. "And I like to look my lover in the eyes while I do it."

''''

Volt was sitting in the HQ cafeteria, amongst several other heroes, as he downed a rather delicious BLT. One upside to being a hero: you could eat as much as you want, and never gain a pound. Leaning back, he rubbed his stomach as he considered ordering a second helping.

Just as he was about to get up, the entrance to the cafeteria slammed open like saloon doors, and Triton came sidling in. He was whistling. Volt watched as his cousin sauntered over to his table, and sat down with a contented sigh. "What's this about," Volt asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"A gentleman never kisses and tells," Triton said, still a little flushed. He had wanted to stay on the carpeted floor of the bookstore with Levi after their embrace, but the sour man had kicked him aside, and left without another word. That was fine, they would see each other tomorrow.

Triton couldn't help but grin as he rewound the memories of the past few hours in his head. Levi's arched back, his sensuous moan… the way his slender fingers clung on to Triton as the hero thrust into him. Biting his lip, the hero tried to refrain from giggling like a little girl.

Watching the display of emotions running over Triton's face, Volt cocked his head. "So, you scored some?"

There was a round of laughing in the cafeteria. Triton blinked when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he smirked when he saw Firea standing over him. "Jealous?" he said, winking at the hero, "You only wanted to hookup once, remember?". She smirked back.

"Hardly," she said. "I couldn't imagine sleeping with Kraken's brother. That guy is going to kill you."

Volt glanced at Triton. "You slept with Leviathan?"

Shaking his head, Triton slid Firea's hand off of his shoulder. "Hell no," he said. "Just this guy from work."

"A human?" Firea sat down next to him, a glint in her eyes. "That must not have been very satisfying for you."

Triton stared at her, unsure of what she meant. "It was awesome," he said slowly, "It was…" Glancing around at Volt, he felt a slight tint of unease in the pit of his stomach. "What's going on?"

"He doesn't know about sex with humans?" Firea asked, turning on Volt. The hero shrugged.

"I thought he would just know better, it's common sense."

Fed up, Triton slammed his palm on the table. "Someone explain to me what's going on."

Firea looked at him with half-lidded eyes, her lips curling into a gleeful smirk. "Triton, you're a superhero. If you tried to fuck a human, you would kill them. Only a person with superpowers could possibly satisfy you."

Triton's eyes started flitting back and forth as he went through the event of the evening- pounding into Levi as he grasped the smaller man's hips. There wasn't anything to indicate… Levi never said that Triton was hurting him… He looked back up at Firea. "You're saying…"

"If you were satisfied, than whoever you were fucking wasn't human."


	13. Volume 13!

Volume 13!

"You're Levi, right?"

Levi was standing at the 'returns' counter, sifting through several piles of unwanted books, when he looked up to find a girl smiling at him with very shiny teeth. She was leaning against the counter on her elbows, her low-cut top revealing more than Levi cared to see. As he stared at her for a moment, a spark of recognition flashed.

"You're the girl from the club," he said slowly, looking around to see if Troy was anywhere within earshot, "Kelly?"

"Kristi," she corrected, tilting her head as her hair rippled over her shoulder, "I'm so glad you remember me."

From what he remembered, she was a giggling, vapid girl who had hung all over Troy. The girl standing in front of him now was very different from his first impression. She had a glint in her eye that gave him pause, and suddenly her entire demeanor had a feeling of a spring-loaded trap. Tensing involuntarily, he set down the book in his hand, and turned his full attention to her.

"Did you need something?" he asked in the politest tone he could muster, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh no," she replied, her smile never faltering, "I recognized you from the window, and wanted to say hi."

He stared at her. "…Why?"

Smiling, she shook her head as Levi watched her as if she were an escaped zoo animal. "Troy mentioned that you're a hard nut to crack."

"What?" Why had Troy been talking with her about Levi at all? Crossing his arms, Levi straightened as he tried to figure out her angle. "And why do I need cracking?"

"Troy's a good friend of mine," she replied, "I wanted to get to know you."

Levi was tempted to ask 'why' again, but he had the feeling that would be pointless. If Troy had been going around spouting off about them sleeping together… Levi knew he would regret his decision, he just didn't realize that an interrogation was on the menu. He shut his eyes for a moment, counted to three, and then looked at the girl.

"I don't know what you've heard…" he said slowly, hoping to lead her into saying something useful.

"A lot of things," she replied, obviously amused by Levi's tone, "Troy talks about you all the time."

Apparently he wasn't the only tough nut in the building. This girl wanted small talk, which Levi was notoriously bad at, but she also had some sort of agenda. He just needed to figure out what it was. Clearing his throat with a small cough, he straightened his shirt with slender fingers, hoping that the girl would feel compelled to break the silence.

"He really likes you," she said in the way that girls do, "Isn't that great?"

Levi still hadn't confirmed what she knew. "It's fantastic," he drawled.

Finally, he noticed a slight twitch, a crack in her friendly veneer. "How old are you, Levi?" she asked.

"Twenty-eight," he replied.

"Oh, that's cute," she said, "I love age differences."

What an odd girl, he couldn't help thinking. Maybe she was in love with Troy, and this was about jealousy? Levi wasn't one to compete for attention, so if she was expecting a fight, she would be sorely disappointed. Besides… seven years wasn't that bad. Either way, he was trapped behind a bookstore counter by an increasingly threatening woman.

He would have to gently direct this conversation to an end.

"Yes." he said, "Age differences."

She smiled just a little too widely. "Is that it?"

"Is what it?" he replied.

"Look," she said, placing her palms down. "I know you two slept together."

So, she was going the direct route now. "Ok?" he said.

Whatever she really wanted to say was on the tip of her tongue, it was obvious. One little push, and she would probably start screaming at Levi for being a huge slut who stole her boyfriend. He couldn't afford to lose his job, not with how badly he and Kraken have been faring at the villain game. Maybe he could appease her…

"Did it hurt?" she asked suddenly.

Levi quirked an eyebrow as his lips curled into a sneer. "Excuse me?"

What kind of person would ask that question of someone they barely know? Better yet, what kind of question was that? Was she hoping that Troy was so bad at having sex with men that Levi would never go near him again? Why would she think it would hurt-

Levi's eyes flicked up at the girl for a moment. She was grinning now, the trap had been sprung.

Of course it didn't hurt. It didn't hurt because Levi was a supervillain with super strength, super endurance, and super pain tolerance. If he had actually been human, like Troy was supposed to believe, than he would have been killed the second Troy got a little too rowdy.

What the fuck had he been thinking?

And now this woman… Kristi? Who was she really? She knew. She saw the look on Levi's face.

He really fucked up.

"Look," he said, "I don't know why you're bothering me,"

"I already told you," she replied, "I wanted to get to know you."

Before he could reply, he noticed Troy walking over to the counter. The younger man's expression was closed-off, his jaw set in a firm line. Levi hadn't talked to Troy since the night they slept together, and now that he thought about it, maybe the kid had been avoiding him? As Troy neared Levi and Kristi, his gaze shot past Levi's shoulder, as if he didn't want to look the other man in the eyes.

"Kristi," he said with short tone, "I told you not to come here."

"I wanted to confirm it," she replied with a shrug.

Levi watched this exchange with growing apprehension. If Troy and Kristi were close friends, then that might mean… she was a superhero. And there could be only one thing that she wanted to confirm.

"Just leave," Troy said, his shoulders tense. "Let me handle this."

Finding himself as a spectator in the conversation, Levi wondered if he should just make a run for it. At this point, his cover was probably blown.

Which meant that Troy knew.

"My shift is ending," he said as flatly as possible, "Is there a chance we could wrap this up?"

"No," Troy replied, finally looking at him. "We need to talk."

Levi raised an eyebrow at Troy's commanding tone, but quelled the urge to say something obstinate. He watched as a nonverbal show-down seemed to transpire between Troy and Kristi before the woman let out an exaggerated sigh. "Fine," she said with a shrug, "Catch me up later."

Without so much as a goodbye, she turned around and sauntered away from the counter, her hips sashaying with a confident rhythm. He should hunt her down, Levi thought, she would probably be excellent in a duel.

"Levi," Troy said, trying to catch the villain's attention. Levi's eyes snapped away from Kristi, and landed on the man in front of him.

"What?"

"Do you have something you want to tell me?" Troy asked, each word deliberate and strained. He looked ready to break down crying… or to strangle Levi's neck. The villain couldn't quite tell which.

Kraken was going to kill him, Levi thought suddenly. After all of Levi's snark about being smarter than his brother, and he had been the one to make the hugest mistake possible. That night… what had he been thinking? He was horny, that was for sure, but also… Troy was different from the other men he had slept with. Probably because he was a superhero. The good guy. Nothing like Rage.

There was something exhilarating in the way Troy looked at him, but that look was gone now.

Play dumb, Levi. "If this is about the other night…" he said.

"No," Troy replied, his eyes narrowing. "You know what this is about."

When Levi didn't respond, Troy slammed his fist down on the counter. "Just say it," he said, "Stop fucking around!"

What were his options? Clearly, Troy knew he wasn't human… but that didn't mean that the hero knew that Levi knew that…

Levi closed his eyes, his head spinning from trying to keep the thought straight. This was about damage control, and the best option was to pretend he didn't know who Troy was. He narrowed his eyes. "If you told me what this was about," he said, "Then I could give you an answer."

The hero stared at him, jaw stiff. "You really don't know?" he asked.

Levi gave him a blank stare.

Suddenly, Troy reached forward, causing Levi to flinch. He had wrapped his large hands around the villain's slender fingers. "Listen," he said, "I have something really big to tell you." Letting out a sigh, Troy glanced down at their hands for a moment, before looking back up with an earnest expression. "You're a superhero."

Levi blinked. "I'm a what?"

"A hero," Troy replied, breaking out into a smile, "Maybe your powers manifested later in life, but there's no way we could have slept together without me hurting you, if you weren't a superhero." He blushed. "Maybe meeting me was what brought it out in you."

This imbecile. "So, what if I weren't a superhero," Levi asked, unable to help himself, "You would have been fine with me getting hurt?"

"No!" Troy replied, holding on tightly to Levi's hand. "I didn't know, ok? I grew up at HQ, I've only ever dated superheroes."

Levi stared at him, trying to process what was happening. Obviously, he should be acting surprised… not an emotion he was too skilled at. He jerked his hand out of Troy's grip. "Look," he said, "No offense, but you're kind of sounding like a crazy person."

"I know, I know," Troy replied, shaking his head, "but listen to me Levi, I'll take you there. I'll take you to HQ, and you can see."

Levi could feel the color draining from his face. Walk straight into the superhero stronghold? No. He would never. Troy could see the panic resonating from the villain, his face clouding with worry. "Look," he said, "I'm sorry I had to spring this on you… but you had to know, you're not human."

Letting out a strangled laugh, Levi shook his head. "Ok," he said slowly, "I've had enough of this. You're really being weird." He quickly strode out from behind the counter, and headed for the employee break room. He had to go home, he had to get away from Troy. Kraken would know what to do, he had to get to Kraken.

He heard Troy shouting his name behind him, but he kept walking. Instead of the break room, he headed for the bathrooms. Once he reached a stall, he shut it and locked the door.

'Kraken,' he called telepathically to his brother.

'What?' came the groggy reply. Obviously, Kraken had been sleeping.

Levi leaned his head against the stall door, scrunching his eyes shut. 'What do I do?' he asked, his voice more of a whine than he would have liked.

There was sigh. 'About what?'

He couldn't say it. He couldn't bring himself to tell his brother that he had slept with a superhero. Kraken would disown him. The silence stretched out in his mind as his brother waited for a response. 'You know,' Kraken said finally, 'I'm not that fucking patient.'

There had to be something else he could do. Shaking his head, Levi frowned. 'Never mind,' he said, 'It's nothing.'

''''''''''''''''

HQ was built several miles out of the city as a military complex, but eventually landed in the hands of the League of Heroes. The supervillains knew of it, they knew where it was, and they would never go there, unless they were seeking certain death or capture. So, why Levi now found himself headed towards HQ in an oversized humvee could be anyone's best guess.

Troy had followed him in to the bathroom, and demanded that Levi at least see what he was talking about. Finding himself trapped between a bathroom stall and a superhero, Levi was left with little choice.

"It'll be great," Troy said to him, leaning in to yell over the thrum of the SUV engine. "If you're really superpowered, you could train to be a hero!" He paused for a moment, a frown crossing over his face. "Well, maybe you shouldn't fight."

"Why not?" Levi replied, needlessly offended.

"You might get hurt," Troy said, blushing as he looked out the window.

Levi stared at him for a moment, tempted to blurt out that it was Troy himself who tried to impale the villain with a spear at one point. He refrained, and looked out his own window. If his brother knew where he was at this moment… "Troy," he said, glancing back over at the hero. "Even if this turns out to be true, and I have superpowers… I'm not joining your little league."

"Why not?" Troy replied, as if Levi was trying to take candy away from him.

"I have my own life, kid," Levi said. "I'm not signing up to be a superhero."

After a moment, Troy shrugged. "I just think it's great that my boyfriend is a superhero, since I don't have to worry about hurting you."

Levi jerked around to look at him. "Boyfriend?"

"We're here!" Troy replied, ignoring Levi as he swung the door open, revealing the entrance to the compound. It looked like a prison, with miles of metal gates, brick walls, and electrical fences. Levi jumped out of the car, and glanced around at the grey facade of the main building, which was huge. "You grew up here?" he asked, glancing around to see if there were any sign on shrubbery.

"It wasn't that bad," Troy replied, "and we got to take field trips into the city."

"How nice," Levi said, following as Troy lead him towards the main doors. There were two heroes standing outside as sentinels, narrowing their eyes as they watched Levi approach. "We don't know him," the guard on the right said, pointing at the villain.

"He's fine," Troy replied with an amazing amount of confidence. "He's a good guy."

Levi had to force himself to keep from snorting at the absurdity. Troy was about to unwittingly walk a supervillain into HQ, thinking that Levi was some naive baby-hero. Well, there was no turning back. The guards nodded stiffly, and moved to let the two pass.

As they walked through the main entrance, Levi was struck by how large the building was. The ceiling reached up at least seven floors, ending a skylight view of the clouds. Heroes were traversing along the hallways, greeting each other as they went. Everything was an opalescent white; the floors, the walls, the railings.

Just as Levi was gaining his bearings, his eyes widened as someone approached them. It was Volt.

"Cousin," Volt said, with an easy smile. "Here he is, the mysterious new hero." Reaching out a hand, he took hold of Levi's slender fingers, and shook vigorously. "Are you surprised?" he said, "Weren't expecting me to be a hero either, right?"

Levi stared at him. The man was in full costume, including the mask, and Levi's gut reaction was to punch Volt in the face and run. Fighting his instincts, he involuntarily jumped when Troy suddenly plopped his muscular arm around Levi's shoulder. "Let's show him around," the hero said, his chest puffing up.

Nodding, Volt gestured for them to follow as he walked deeper into the building. Levi tried not to tense up with Troy's arm around his shoulder, but he couldn't help noticing the stares he was receiving from the heroes around him. As they walked, shouts of frustration could be heard sounding out from the room in front of them. With a hint of flourish, Volt swung the doors open to reveal a vast training ground.

As they walked inside, a fireball blasted from the sky, and erupted as it hit a sandpit on the ground. Levi narrowed his eyes, hissing under his breath at the intense heat. "Don't worry," Troy said, leaning over to whisper in Levi's ear. "You won't get hurt." Just as he said this, another fireball landed barely five feet from where they were standing.

"So, you brought him," came a woman's voice from above. Levi looked up, and narrowed his eyes. Krisit was floating above them, fire clenched in her hands. "It's a mistake, Triton," she said, openly glaring at Levi. "You have no idea who he is."

Well, at least there was one smart hero.

She dropped to the ground, and landed in the sand pit. "Welcome to HQ," she said, sauntering over to them, her hands still set ablaze.

Levi nodded, meeting her direct gaze. "Hey, Kristi," he said, smirking.

Appraising him with fiery eyes, she finally nodded curtly. "I'm just going to say now, I don't trust you."

"Seems fair," Levi replied.

"Firea," Troy cut in, "Don't be rude." He still had his arm around Levi's shoulders. Firea observed this with a stiff face, her eyes moving from Troy's face to the arm around Levi. She snorted softly, and placed her hands on her hips as she swung her hair over her shoulder.

"Look," she said, "I'll I'm saying is, you don't really know who he is."

"Firea," Volt cut in, trying to be diplomatic. "How's the training going?" he asked, gesturing towards the sand pit.

"Fine," she replied with shrug. "Those villains won't know what hit them."

Levi felt something in the pit of his stomach as he observed the training grounds, and the multitude of heroes honing their skills in the humungous room. "What villains?" he asked, turning to look at Troy.

"Oh," the hero replied, "It's going to be a showdown." He looked down at Levi with a proud smile. "They're having a summit meeting called VillainCon."

Levi felt his mouth run dry. "What?"

"Isn't it great?" Troy replied, "We're going to get in there, and capture every single villain in the place." With a laugh, he shook his head. "They won't know what hit them."


	14. Volume 14!

Volume 14!

Troy cleared his throat. "I said, they won't know what hit-"

"Yes, I heard you."

Levi knew he was close to snarling based on simultaneous eyebrow raising from the three people standing around him. Troy was staring at him with a particularly apprehensive expression. "Are you okay?" the hero asked, "You look kind of angry."

"I'm just…" Levi began to say, coughing when his voice came out in a high pitched squeak.

What the hell could he say? He was deep in the bowels of HQ, standing next to his arch-enemy, his brother's arch-enemy, and the only hero who seemed smart enough to put her left shoe on her left foot.

His eyes flicked up at the thought of Firea.

She was staring at him with a slightly less hostile expression, but he couldn't ignore the almost imperceptible quirk of her lips. She was on her guard… as he should be.

"I think I'd like to go home, for now," he said. "This was quite a lot to learn in one day."

The tension in the room dissipated as Volt and Troy both broke out into ruckus laughter, Troy going so far as to slap Levi's shoulder. When they continued to stare at Levi with idiotic grins, he crossed his arms. "What?"

"Go home?" Troy said, "We have to keep you here!"

Levi blinked. "You do?"

"You just found out you're a hero, there's no way to know how your powers are going to manifest. It's much safer to keep you at HQ." Leaning forward, Troy winked. "You'll stay in my room."

Levi stared at him silently for a moment. "Why would I do that?" he said, finally, suppressing a smirk when Volt snorted.

"Because… uh…" Troy spluttered back at him, before wilting as his face drooped in a hang-dog expression. Levi breathed out with a light laugh, but the small amusement was short-lived. He frowned.

So, they were planning an attack on VillainCon? All of them? Levi tried to imagine the HQ army swarming the villains, and the battle that would ensue. Who would win? Well, the heroes no longer had the element of surprise… but they also tended to work in teams better than villains did, what with not stabbing each other in the back all the live long day.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. "Levi," Troy whispered, leaning in conspiratorially towards Levi's ear. He turned them both around so that they were facing away from Volt and Firea. "I know we haven't really talked about the relationship yet…" He was blushing.

"Oh," Levi replied, "I've embarrassed you."

"No, no," Troy eked out, "but if you could just… I mean, I know you probably don't go for public displays of affection…"

Levi narrowed his eyes at Troy, who coughed. "It's just, they know I really like you, and I don't want to look like an idiot in front of them."

"But you are an idiot."

"Levi!"

Rolling his eyes, Levi smirked at the hero before placing a hand on Troy's shoulder, pulling himself upwards. He pressed his lips against Troy's cheek in a kiss, looking through the corner of his eye at the other two heroes. Volt was gawking with an open mouth, and Firea had her arms crossed. Just as he was considering winking at her, Levi jerked when he felt Troy wrap his arm around his waist. He pulled away.

"Good?" he said, cocking an eyebrow.

Troy grinned at him, keeping his arm tightly encircled around Levi. "Perfect."

About to smile back in return, Levi caught himself. He was humoring Troy. Not only that, but he also just did something for someone who wasn't himself. That was called being selfless, wasn't it?

What a disgusting concept.

"Levi, you're glaring again."

Opening his mouth the snap at Troy, he was cut off by a cough from behind them. "Gentlemen?" Volt said, "We do have a schedule to keep. HQ only promised private usage of the training facility for an hour."

Levi narrowed his eyes. Training facility… they were planning on testing his powers. Breathing in, he looked down when he realized that Troy had clasped his hand in a firm hold. Fantastic, now the puppy thought he needed to be comforted. "I suppose the training facility is for me," he drawled.

"Yes, actually," Firea cut in. "A brand new hero, we're all just waiting with breathless anticipation to see what your powers are."

Fighting the urge to growl, he crossed his arms. Were heroes allowed to be sarcastic? He had the nagging feeling that he would like Firea if it weren't for her pesky association with the forces of good. Not to mention… she and rest of the clown parade were planning an attack on VillainCon.

He had a distinct advantage by infiltrating HQ… Yes, he was going to call it 'infiltrating'. No need to admit to anyone that he was invited by his boyfriend.

…Ugh, boyfriend. Levi sighed, he had to remain focused.

What could he lose by showing a little super strength? Break a rock here, jump to a high ledge there- none of it would reveal who he truly was. It would be a small price to pay for finding out exactly what they were planning. He would be heralded as a mastermind for eternity if he pulled this off.

Levi smiled at her. "Then, I am happy to oblige."

''''

He was sent to change his clothes. Apparently heroes kept a stockpile of spandex for training, which seemed prudent enough. It was a highly flammable fabric.

Holding up a neon orange full-body suit, he cringed. "This is…"

"Tacky?"

Levi looked past the suit, and saw a girl standing in front of him. She was wearing a lab coat, her silky brown hair rolled up in a bun. Crossing her arms, she gave Levi a wain smile, the florescent lights of the locker room glinting off her thick-rimmed glasses. He was suddenly reminded of soft lips under flashing lights, and smiled.

"I was going to say an abomination."

Her smile warmed somewhat. "Well, if villains have anything on heroes, it would be fashion sense."

He blinked, losing himself for a moment. "Villains?"

"Supervillains," she replied, raising an eyebrow, "the evil twin of heroes?"

He nodded slowly, inwardly berating himself. There was no possible way for her to know who he was, and it was stupid to stumble over something so insignificant as a comment about the apparel choices of villains. "Ah, yes," he said, forcing himself to relax. "I'm afraid I never caught your name when we met…"

"So, you do remember me," she replied, placing a hand on her hip. "I was kind of hoping you wouldn't."

Levi smirked. "Am I that bad of a kisser?"

"No," she said, "but that wasn't my proudest moment… making out with someone just to get Kristi's attention." Sighing, she tilted her head. "Not that it would have worked in the first place. She's been in love with Troy since they were little kids."

"Has she?" Levi replied, his lips thinning. He closed his eyes. Jealousy, Levi? Really?

When he opened his eyes, he found her smirking at him. "My name is Dee," she said, "I work as a doctor here."

"So, not a hero?"

"Decommissioned," she replied with a shrug, "They felt my aptitude wasn't in fighting." Taking another step towards him, her high heals clacking on the tile floor, she crossed her arms. "I just wanted to talk to you before you go to the training facility, Levi. I think Volt and Triton are being a little cavalier, shoving you into the simulator with no experience." She took another step forward. "Are you nervous?"

What would a normal human say? Something stupid, probably.

"Should I be?" Levi replied with exaggerated bravado. She smiled at him.

"They won't let you get hurt, but they will want to see the extent of your powers."

Nodding, Levi smiled in return. They wouldn't be seeing much.

There was a cough from behind them, and Levi turned to find Troy standing there with his arms crossed. "We've been waiting for you, Levi," he said. His arms were crossed, his back stiff as he stared at Levi and Dee. "What were you two talking about?" he asked, his voice tightening at the end of the sentence.

"I was just checking on him," Dee replied, "No need to get worked up, Troy." She gave Levi one last meaningful glance before click-clacking out of the locker room. Levi watched her retreating back with a raised eyebrow. Was there something more going on? Something she was hinting at?

"She's a lesbian."

Levi looked back at Troy with a smirk. "What do you think of me? That I'm some casanova? I can talk to people without trying to sleep with them."

Walking over to Levi, Troy picked up the orange spandex suit. "You made out with her that one time…"

"Aren't you the one who first brought up an open relationship?" Levi replied, crossing his arms.

Troy had flung the suit over his shoulder, and reached out to Levi's jacket, pulling the zipper down, knocking Levi's arms apart. "That was when I was nervous about sleeping with a guy," he said. He looked up at Levi, their eyes meeting. "I didn't really mean it."

Levi didn't reply, letting Troy push the jacket down his shoulders. It hit the ground with a soft thud, and the hero moved on to pulling Levi's shirt up, his knuckles grazing the villain's skin. "And it's not that I think you want to sleep with everyone, but you've been notoriously cagy about whether we're dating or not."

"We only had sex a week ago!" Levi replied, his voice muffled as Troy pulled his shirt up over his arms.

Vision momentarily blocked by the shirt, it suddenly struck Levi that he was allowing Troy to undress him. This pointed to a level of intimacy and familiarity that he didn't really remember signing up for. A cold dose of fear washed over him. How much of this was playing Troy for the information Levi could get, and how much of it was actually wanting to be with the hero?

When Troy came back into view, Levi stared at him with a passive expression. His jaw was set in a tight line, and he was refusing to meet Levi's gaze. "Look," Levi said, "You know that I just got out of a relationship…" He stopped himself. Bringing up Rage was a terrible idea. If Troy got any inkling that Rex Ragerous was a supervillain…

"I just want to take it slow, ok?" he said.

Troy ignored him, instead reaching for his fly. Sighing, Levi let the hero unzip his pants, and push them to the ground. Troy stepped even closer, slipping his hands down the back of Levi's briefs, gripping the villain's ass.

"I didn't realize one removed underwear this way," Levi said, the corner of his lip curling.

"You're a bastard."

Looking up, Levi found Troy frowning at him. "And you're stepping over the line, kid," he snarled. "I never promised you anything."

"You need me now, Levi," Troy replied, "You may be older than me, but I'm the one who knows what it's like being a superhero."

Levi shut his mouth, looking away from Troy. Oh how tempting it was to throw the hero across the room, to show Troy just how wrong he was... But that would be an egregious error. Levi snorted. So, the kid needed something to hold over Levi, to put them on an equal playing field. Fine.

"I guess you're right," he said, "This is definitely new ground for me."

He felt Troy squeeze tighter, pulling Levi into his chest. "I'm sorry."

Levi blinked. "For what?"

"Volt told me that I've been too overbearing." He sighed. "You think I'm an asshole, don't you?"

Well, isn't that charming. He was only apologizing after Levi admitted defeat. Maybe he was more cunning then Levi was giving him credit for… or maybe this was the puppy's way of letting Levi save face. "Yes," Levi replied drolly.

Troy laughed, slipping Levi's underwear down to the ground. The villain was now completely naked, and he watched with some curiosity as Troy stared at him. "Will that make having sex again a problem?" Troy asked, his eyes still roving Levi's chest.

Smiling, Levi let out an amused snort. "We'll see," he said.

Troy reached up to his shoulder, and pulled off the orange suit. Sitting on the locker room bench, he rolled the suit until he got to the ankles. "Foot."

"I think I can manage this part on my own."

"Foot."

Sighing, Levi lifted his leg. Troy pulled the suit up over his leg, and then gestured at Levi's other foot. Switching sides, Levi watched as Troy tugged the leg of the suit up around his foot. He then stood up slowly, unrolling the suit as it started to cling to Levi's body. When Troy reached his chest, Levi obediently held his arms out, letting Troy pull them through the sleeves.

Troy stepped back to survey his handiwork, and then covered his mouth. Taking this as a hint, Levi looked down at himself.

It was as if his body had turned neon orange. The suit was skin tight, stretching over every muscle as it shimmered in all of it's spandex glory. He craned his neck around, and winced. The suit had molded perfectly around his ass.

"I think it's hot," Troy said, staring at Levi's crotch.

"Shut up," Levi said, sitting down to pull on the matching orange tennis shoes. He paused. "Is this really how you all dress yourselves for training, or am I being made fun of?" He couldn't decide which would be worse.

"Well, sometimes the suits come in pink, but we ran out of those."

"Small favors, I suppose," Levi replied. Standing up, he crossed his arms. "So?"

Troy smiled. "Right this way," he said, gesturing for the door.

''''

He had already seen the sand pit, but apparently that wasn't the 'training facility' everyone was referring to.

"That one is for practice skirmishes," Troy said, leading Levi as they walked through the cavernous main building.

Practice skirmishes? No wonder heroes always had the upper hand on villains. They had state of the art training facilities, they were all allies, all working for a common cause. Levi thought back to the numerous times Kraken and he play-wrestled on the floor of their shitty duplex before lounging in front of the television.

The villains were screwed.

"Everyone must be training hard for this, uh, VillainCon was it?"

Troy nodded. "Yeah, VillianCon. It's where all the supervillians of Capatalia meet to brag and scream at each other for a couple of hours."

Levi's jaw tightened, but he let it go. It wasn't exactly a lie. "Why attack it? It sounds like it's the one time they're not actually breaking any laws."

"We want something permanently done," Troy replied, "We're going to capture them, and keep them here."

Feeling faint for a moment, Levi clenched his fists. He tried to imagine Kraken locked up the bowels of HQ. His brother would go mad. "So, you're just going to lock them all away?"

Troy stopped, possibly sensing a slight hitch in Levi's tone. "The really bad ones, yes. Although, I think Volt wants to rehabilitate some of them."

"What?" Rehabilitate? Not even possible.

Crossing his arms, Troy nodded, a curious expression clouding his face. "Yeah, I don't exactly understand it either. He just told me that he was going to ask HQ for permission to personally oversee some of the villains."

Before Levi could ask which villains, Troy nodded his head towards the hallway. "We need to get this over with," he said, "Volt and Firea are waiting."

Levi nodded, and followed behind Troy as they continued on. His original plan was to alert the villains of the upcoming attack so that they could prepare for the battle, but as Troy's words started to soak in, and the image of whatever "rehabilitation" meant flashed through his mind, he began to think that maybe retreat was key.

He couldn't let Kraken get locked up. With this knowledge, he had the ability to prevent that from happening.

"Here we are," Troy said, breaking Levi from his reverie. They were standing in front of another pair of sterile metal doors. Hitting the panel at the side, Troy held his arm out, gesturing for Levi to go ahead as the doors slid open. The room beyond was as equally cavernous as the main building.

Levi couldn't help but gawk. They were standing on a small platform, and as Levi walked towards the railing, he looked down. It was an all-terrain room, stretching down hundreds of feet with a rock face crowding one wall, and at the other end, a fake city block. In between was a lake-like body of water. "This is amazing," he breathed, genuinely impressed.

"I used to spend three hours a day in here," Troy replied. "We start when we're fifteen."

Nodding, Levi took another step into the room. He was drawn back to the memory of watching Triton and Volt on TV as they fought a different group of villians. Everything about their movements had been beautifully orchestrated, a sign of rigorous training. Once again, Levi wondered if the pair had been going easy on he and his brother. And why?

Filing away the thought for later, he looked back at Troy. The puppy was looking at him with an uncharacteristically guarded expression. Slightly thrown-off, Levi shifted on his feet. "Are we going to do this, or what?"

"Uh, Levi, I just wanted you to know-"

There was a clanking sound, cutting Troy off as the room suddenly came to life. The lights over the fake city street darkened as the windows became illuminated, the the water in the lake started to lap against the shores with increasing ferocity, and the rock face was now trembling, little bits of boulder falling down the sides. He looked at Troy. "What's happening?"

Troy couldn't meet his eyes, which only made him more apprehensive. "We figured, since you and I were able to sleep together without me hurting you, that we should test your strength and endurance first."

We? Troy was discussing their sex life with someone? Well, that was awkward.

"What should I do?"

"To start the simulation, you have to jump down from the platform."

A simulation? Dee wasn't joking, Troy and Volt were certainly expecting a lot from someone who was supposedly human until a week ago. What would human Levi do in a situation such as this one? Would he be scared? "You literally just want me to leap over the edge?"

Troy nodded.

"What if you're all wrong, what if I don't have any powers?"

"Volt said that's impossible. There's no way I wouldn't have hurt you if you were human."

How scientific. Levi rolled his eyes as he turned back to the edge of the platform. Well, it wasn't like he would die… he was super-powered, after all. He stepped up on the ledge, and looked downwards. "And after I jump?"

"You'll be put through several tests."

"Fantastic."

Breathing in, he leapt. The air whipped around his ears as the ground flew up at him. He braced himself for impact, making sure to stagger a little to look like he wasn't experienced in jumping off fatally high ledges. Looking up, he caught Troy staring down at him. He held his thumb up.

Suddenly, an impact hit from the side, sending him flying into the rock face. Dropping to ground, his mind reeled as he clambored to his feet. "What the fuck," he breathed, focusing his gaze on an enormous form in front of him.

It was some sort of robot, three times as large as Levi. There were dents and burn marks on it's hull, from what Levi was assuming were previous training sessions. It's eyes were burning bright red. Did it really need eyes? Heroes were so dramatic.

He didn't have time to dwell on this thought as the machine advanced towards him. Positioning himself in a fighting stance, he blinked as he remembered that he was supposed to be an amateur. They were pitting an amateur against a giant robot? Backing up several feet, his back hit the rock face.

The robot swung it's arm forward, and Levi dodged it, hearing the metal make impact with the rock. A few pebbles fell on his head, and he snarled. Running forward, he ducked under the arm and ran out past the robot. He could hear it's gears grinding as it swung around to follow him.

He was a little at a loss. Should he destroy it? How much power should he show? Also, why the fuck… what were they thinking? This thing was meant to fight heroes who already knew what they were doing.

Trotting farther along the rock face, hearing the robot thud behind him, he finally made a decision. He stopped, and slammed his fist into the rock, dislodging a boulder. Spinning in a tight circle, he lobbed it at the robot. It seemed like an action even a complete plebe could think of.

He watched as the boulder hit the robot, and shattered.

"Ok, then," he breathed, taking a step back. Do robots get angry?

Just as he was considering grabbing another boulder, a compartment in the robot's chest opened, a net launched out. "Shit," Levi said, stumbling to the ground as the net wrapped around his legs. He reached down to rip it away, only to realize it was made of hero metal.

The robot started making a whirring, ominous sound as it began walking away from the rock face, bringing Levi along for the ride. If only he could call Sea Fang and slash through the netting, Levi thought, again futilely attempting to rip the metal. He was so distracted by the net, that he barely registered where the robot was heading.

He hissed as they dropped into the water of the lake. The robot was bringing them down to the lake bed, a cloud of dust rising as it's feet hit the ground. Levi sank down behind it, tensing as he expected another blow. The robot just watched him.

Oh. He was supposed to be drowning.

He kneaded his temples. There was no way in hell he could let any of the heroes know he could breath under water. That hit too close to home. Clamping his mouth shut, he struggled forward towards the robot, using his arms to drag himself. Perhaps he could rip the netting away from the compartment, and swim to the surface.

This hope was dashed as the robot simply backed away from him. Already, his heart was thudding against his chest, begging for oxygen.

What was this? Were they planning to let him drown? His vision was blurring…

Just as he was considering calling Sea Fang, and making a break for it out of HQ, something hit the robot with tremendous force. It staggered backwards, falling to it's back as Triton shoved his spear into the faceplate. Turning around, he zoomed to Levi, and slashed the metal net. He hooked his arm around Levi's waist, and propelled them to the surface. By this time, Levi's brain was screaming, his heart was screaming, everything was begging him to take at least one precious breath.

They flopped on the shore, Levi gasping for air as Triton hovered over him. "No," he snarled when the hero leaned forward to help him, "Don't touch me."

He dragged himself backwards on the sand, away from Triton. Despite knowing there was no real way for him to die, despite knowing he could have gotten away from that robot if he really wanted to, he couldn't help but seethe. Even if he knew all of that, Troy certainly didn't.

Sliding his drenched raven hair out of his eyes, he looked up to glare at Triton. The hero couldn't even meet his eyes. "Why?"

"I wouldn't have let you get hurt-"

"Why?"

Troy finally looked at him. "We didn't have any way of knowing, Levi," he said. "You could have been tricking us. You could have planned all of this from the start. We had to make sure you weren't pretending."

Biting his lip, Levi was the one to look away this time.

He felt Triton grab his hand. "But it's okay now, Levi. I'm so sorry I didn't trust you." Leaning forward, he started kissing Levi's face, who was too shocked to protest. "Everything is fine now, Levi," he said, "Now we know, now we know you're one of us." Levi felt Triton slide his hand under his chin, and tilt his head up so that their eyes met.

"From now on Levi, I'll always protect you."


	15. Volume 15!

Volume 15!

"Troy … If you could just … maybe not … "

Turning his head from side to side, Levi scrunched his face as Troy continued to shower him with kisses like an overeager puppy. Levi held his hand up to block the assault, only to have Troy grab Levi's wrist, and press a kiss against his palm.

"You're not mad—" Another gentle kiss on Levi's cheek, and then one in between his eyes, "—are you?"

Levi gritted his teeth, and slapped his hand against Troy's forehead, shoving him away. He blanched when Troy suddenly grinned down at him, a spark twinkling in those crystal blue eyes. "That hero strength is something else, isn't it?" Troy asked, laughing, "Maybe I should be worried that you can beat me up now?"

With a sharp 'tsk', Levi kneed Troy in the gut, and hastily crab-walked out from under him, scooching up the sand of the lake shore until he had put several feet of distance between them. Troy watched him, sitting back on his haunches with a sigh.

"You … " Levi said, his voice tight. He was still breathing heavily, his throat dry and hurting.

Everything about Troy was hateful to him in that moment— his steady presence, the water glistening on his perfect, golden tresses, and the way his costume clung to every rippling muscle like a second skin. The most hateful part of all was the way Troy was looking at Levi, all that warmth and compassion. Disgusting compassion.

Levi looked to the side, his shoulders rigid. He was still lying there, propped up on his elbows as his chest caved. Glancing down at his own body, he took in the ripped, muddied spandex, his lip curling up. After a moment, a sharp laugh escaped his lips. "This explains why you were always following me."

" … What?" Troy replied, his tone slightly apprehensive.

Pointing at Troy, Levi narrowed his eyes with a languid smile. "You didn't tell me you were Triton," he said, "You thought I would forget the time you followed me home?"

Troy blinked. "Oh," he said lamely, looking down at his outfit, "Right."

Levi shrugged, his expression smoothing out as his eyes wandered to the now quiet training arena. Tiring. This was tiring. He wanted his brother, wanted Kraken to tell him what to do. "So," he said, his voice distant, "You were testing me." His gaze slid over to Triton. "And if I had been killed?"

Troy smirked at him. "Like I would have let that happen," he said, moving one knee forward slowly, shifting towards Levi. "All I want to do is protect you," he said, lifting the other knee forward. He had his hands raised, palms forward.

Levi found himself staring at Triton's cautious movements with narrowing eyes. "I refuse."

Blinking, Troy stopped. "You … refuse?" he said, with a quirk of his eyebrow. "You refuse my protection?" A small smile was playing on his lips.

"I don't need it," Levi replied with a low drawl.

There was a pause, Troy considering Levi with a quiet gaze. "Careful, Levi," he said, crossing his well-defined arms, "At some point, you will regret saying that."

Levi snorted, but felt a tide of worry anyway. The line had sounded unnatural in Troy's mouth, but his eyes were serious and unwavering as he watched Levi, and somehow Levi found himself fidgeting under the silent gaze. "Will I?" Levi said finally, making eye contact with Troy, "You can say that with so much certainty?"

Cocking his head, Troy smiled at Levi, his eyes warm behind his mask. "Am I the worst thing that ever happened to you?"

Levi sat up more. "What— "

"Gentlemen."

Both Troy and Levi froze, and then looked up at the platform. Volt was there, leaning over the railing, and grinning down at them. "What's with the cold front, eh, boys?" he said, "I thought you two were lovebirds, not mortal enemies."

"We're neither," Levi hissed, scrambling to his feet, and turning his shoulder away from Troy.

"Hey, now," Volt replied, "Don't be angry, Levi. We had to do it. You don't know how hard it is to trust someone in this game."

Levi almost found himself swayed by Volt's easy-going tone, but then realized that was the point, and scowled. He heard a chuckle from above him, and looked up with his teeth bared. "Is this in some way amusing to you?" he yelled, "Perhaps you should send out another robot, and I can be bashed around some more purely for your entertainment."

"No need to be snipey—" Volt began to respond, and then stopped. A curious expression passed over his face. "Well, anyway," he said after quick pause, "All is good now, you proved to be completely inept! Isn't that wonderful?"

"Wonderful?" Levi said, his hands balling into fists.

"Yes," Volt said back with a wink, "Only a former human could be so useless."

He burst out laughing, his head tilted back, and Levi considered lunging up there and strangling the obnoxious, arrogant prick. How pleasing it would be to bring Volt's bloated, rotting head back to Kraken as a gift. Levi licked his lips at the thought.

"Levi?"

Turning his head, he saw Troy staring at him with a small frown. "What?" he asked, smirking.

"Your teeth … " Troy replied, tilting his head slightly.

Levi quickly swung his head around, and shut his mouth. Sliding his tongue along his teeth, he inwardly cursed his sudden lack of control. They were razor sharp, pointed and menacing. Calming himself, he looked back at Troy. "That was weird," he said with a forced chuckle. Troy smiled back apprehensively, one eyebrow raised.

"Children … " came Volt's singsong voice, "I wasn't joking, let's get this show on the road. Happy faces! Levi, you should get cleaned up."

Levi looked back up. "For what?"

"For what?" Volt replied with a large grin, "For your welcoming party, of course!"

''''

Levi sat in a corner.

It was the least they— all of these clowns, could do for him. Leave him alone, let him brood. Let him hate everyone, everything, every single little atom on the planet because here he, Leviathan the supervillain, was … at what was basically the equivalent to a Superhero mixer.

Not that they knew he was Leviathan, or anything, but they did know he was Levi Mender, the unsociable bookseller, which was good enough. He brought a bottle of beer to his lips, and chugged, savoring the harsh, wheaty taste.

The party was in some sort of dining hall, which was just as pristine and white as the rest of HQ. There were heroes just … literally everywhere, and they were all wearing their costumes. If Levi was one to suffer anxiety attacks, then this party would have been the mother of all triggers. There were mythical heroes, aliens, and genetic experiments traipsing around, dancing to dubstep, and getting smashed.

It was horrifying.

"Hunching isn't good for your spine."

Levi turned to snarl at whoever dared— realized it was Dee, and immediately pulled himself back. She smiled knowingly at him. "May I join you?"

Straightening his back with a cough, Levi nodded, and patted the spot next to him on the bench he was sitting on. Dee sat, smoothed out her skirt, and leaned in to speak in Levi's ear. "Don't feel too obligated to stay," she said, "They just like to have excuses to party."

Levi already felt himself relax slightly. "That's a relief," he replied. He turned to look at her. "You were trying to warn me before, weren't you?"

"Well," Dee said, "Not really. I felt bad, but I saw the prudence in making sure you weren't an imposter of some sort."

Frowning, Levi looked back out at the party. After a second, he took another chug of his beer. He hissed with pleasure at the alcohol burning his throat. "I thought heroes were supposed to be more … " he trailed off, tilting his head back against the wall, looking at Dee from the corner of his eye.

A small smile was playing on her lips. "Naive?" she said, without looking at him.

He felt his jaw clench. He looked down at his fingernails. "I guess."

"Levi," she said, "I can't imagine how you must feel right now, but when we met before, you struck me as someone with a lot of self-possession. Somehow, I don't think being thrown into the training arena was that traumatic." She finally tilted her head at him. "So don't take it out on Troy for too long. He's feeling pretty horrible about it right now."

"I didn't ask for this," Levi replied, his voice tight, "and I didn't sign up to be a pet owner. That puppy can go find someone else to whimper at."

Dee laughed— a light, breathy, pleasant sound. "Puppy?" she said, "That's how you think of him?"

Shrugging, Levi took a small sip of beer, his eyes roving over the party.

"Levi," Dee said, talking a little slowly, "Troy … Triton … he's the best we've seen in years. He aced the training courses within months. He's on par with Volt, he could really be the one to replace Volt's … " Trailing off, her voice dropped off as Levi continued to stare at the crowd with hard eyes.

"So?" Levi said, his voice cracking only a little bit.

Triton was what? The best? That clown? Levi wanted to burst into hysterical laughter, but he didn't because he could hear the seriousness in Dee's voice, and suddenly he was wondering what the hell he had gotten himself into. What he had gotten Kraken into. Troy wanted to date Levi, thought Levi was a hero … shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

He should be salivating at the idea of pulling some epic romantic betrayal, but shit. He didn't want to be killed. Not by that punk.

Coughing, he looked at Dee. "I mean," he said, "I've seen Triton on television, he doesn't seem that tough. Leviathan has gotten the better of him once or twice."

"Yeah?" Dee replied, "You think so?"

He almost choked on his beer at her amused tone. Turning to ask her what she meant, he stopped when the music suddenly cut out, and silence rang out through the hall like a sledgehammer. He looked around just as Volt's booming voice was heard.

"People!" he shouted, "I think the best way to introduce Levi to HQ is to show him what he has to look forward to!"

There were a few expectant growns from the crowd.

"Yes!" Volt continued, laughing, "You all know that the means … Highlight reel!"

"Here we go," Dee said from beside Levi, and Levi quirked an eyebrow at her just as all the lights in the room shut off, and suddenly a giant screen was projected on the wall. He looked up, and found himself laughing. It was a video of fights between heroes and villains, the film grainy.

"That must have been from awhile ago," he said.

"Yes," Dee replied, "It's a long video. You'd better get comfortable."

He nodded, leaning back against the wall with a grin, and looking back up at the screen. He didn't mind watching battles, found it kind of enjoyable and interesting, considering how old they were. At least it was taking his mind off 'one of the best' Triton.

Suddenly, there was a click in his head. He smiled. "What do you want?"

"Where are you?"

Oh, and how should Levi answer that. "I get some personal freedom, Kraken," he said telepathically, "I get my own secrets."

"To hell with that," Kraken replied, "Levi, get home. Now."

The irritating, arrogant and commanding tone of Kraken's voice was almost heartwarming. "Imissyou … " Levi replied, smirking at the angry ripple that was Kraken's response.

"You little shit," Kraken said, "If I find out that you're at Rage's … "

"I'm not," Levi replied, "Actually—"

He stopped, his mouth dropping open.

There was a hush from the crowd. "Ah, yes," Volt was saying, sounding a little subdued, "Well, we all remember this one … "

Getting up from the bench without realizing it, eyes glued to the projection, Levi walked forward, everything around him falling away. He couldn't even feel himself, there were no thoughts in his head as he watched the video, moving closer to it. He couldn't … there had to be some cosmic rule … he just, he wished he had never seen was he was looking at.

''''

It was Leviathan. Kraken's Leviathan.

He was standing on top of a car, talking to someone off screen. Whoever had been filming was hiding behind some rubble, and the view was a little shaky … but there was no denying it. Leviathan was right there.

He looked so powerful. Well, he looked a lot like Kraken— same build and all, but he had the same silky raven hair as Levi, the same emerald green eyes. Where Kraken was wild and barely controlled temper, this Leviathan was cold and composed. But he was so breathtakingly powerful.

A tear rolling down Levi's cheek broke him from his reverie, and he quickly wiped it away before anyone saw. Licking his lips, he stepped closer.

This was what was taken from Kraken, this brother. They really had been twins. Levi could imagine that Leviathan was the one who took care of Kraken, just based on his general atmosphere. He looked like he knew everything, like he could predict the future.

A click sounded in Levi's head. "Did you fucking hang up on me?"

"We're not talking on a phone, dumbass," Levi replied, but his heart wasn't in it.

There was a pause. " … You ok?"

Jumping from the car, the Leviathan in the video stalked closer to who he was speaking to, and finally someone else came on the screen. It was Volt.

Volt looked young, reminded Levi of Troy, and he was standing in a fighting stance, lightening snapping at his fingertips. Leviathan was saying something to him, but there was no audio, and Levi could only imagine what it was. Volt looked pissed though, and was shouting something back at Leviathan.

"Look at me," Volt said from next to him, and Levi jumped. He hadn't realized he had moved so far into the crowd. Volt turned his head to smile at him. "I was just a kid, then," he said, "I had no business going up against Leviathan."

Levi looked at him with surprise, his eyebrows rising. "Why did you?"

"Hm," Volt replied, his smile lingering. He let out a heavy sigh. " Well, … there he is."

Glancing back at the screen, Levi's eyes widened. He was looking at his brother, Kraken, sauntering on screen. Kraken joined Leviathan, and standing there side-by-side, they looked unstoppable.

A click again. "Levi?" Kraken spoke in his head.

They truly were two sides of a coin, with Leviathan's long, sharp, black tresses framing a pale and serious face, while Kraken stood there with his messy, brown hair and fiery eyes. Levi felt small looking at them, felt like a stranger in his own body. What right did he have to be Leviathan? How could he ever replace the man in that video?

"You dumbass … " Volt muttered from beside him.

The Volt on the screen had stopped shouting, and was now speaking animatedly, a light blush blooming on his cheeks as he talked. He was gesturing wildly, and was saying something specifically to Kraken, getting a little too excited. Kraken and Leviathan were staring at him coldly, Leviathan looking especially bored.

"What's going on?" Levi asked, his eyes still glued to the screen.

"Ah, well," Volt replied, a slight bitter edge to his voice, "Just me being idealistic. It happens with all young heroes. I got over it."

Who cares about you, Levi thought to himself with a frown. His fingers curled into his palms. "Yes, but," he said, trying not to sound too interested, "What about those two?"

Volt snorted. "They were humoring me," he said, "Quite nice of them, if you think about it." Sighing, he looked over at Levi. "Let me tell you," he said, "I was a grade-A moron back then. I thought that if I just got him to listen to me … If I just somehow made him see … " Pausing, Volt closed his eyes and smiled a harsh smile.

"Leviathan?" Levi replied.

Volt opened his eyes. "Leviathan?" he repeated. He let out a strangled, rueful laugh. "Hell no, no force in existence would have ever made Leviathan good. He was rotten to the core."

Feeling a sudden tremor of anger, Levi told himself to cool it.

"No," Volt continued, "Those two … nothing could get in between them." Coughing, he crossed his arms. "Anyway, that's how Leviathan got himself killed."

Levi could feel his teeth elongating this time, felt the urge to rip Volt's throat out. What did he mean 'that's how Leviathan got himself killed'? Someone killed him, he didn't get himself killed, and now Levi would kill Volt for speaking ill of— no. Pulling his teeth back, Levi sighed, shaking his head. He watched the video switch out to a different fight, one not involving anyone he knew, and the palpable tension in the room abetted.

"You know," Volt said, his voice distant, "When the new Leviathan came around, I just didn't expect for it to happen all over again. It's like Kraken's even more attached to this one than he was with the old one."

For the first time since seeing Leviathan, Levi actually felt a little better. "Yeah?"

Volt nodded without saying anything. He was still staring at the projection, but his eyes were glazed over, his mouth set in a thin line. He was standing with his shoulders stiff, and with each passing second, it looked as if anger and energy were being sucked into his core, and was being contained there by a very flimsy gate.

"God damnit, Levi, answer me!"

Levi winced at the sudden acidic anger in his head, which he hid with a cough. "I'm fine," he replied to Kraken, "but I may not be back tonight."

His eyes had wandered back over the crowd, which was when he finally noticed Triton. He was standing amidst some other heroes, his contagious laughter wafting through the air. Leaning against him, Firea had one arm around his waist, and was smiling up at him with a small spark in her eyes.

Triton was the center of attention, and Levi could see the other heroes were trying to vy for even a second of his time.

Looking back at Volt, Levi sighed, and patted him on the shoulder. "They're brothers, aren't they?"

Volt snorted, and Levi frowned. This wasn't the first time he had seen Volt lose his charming, roguish demeanor over the familial relationship between Levi and Kraken. "Why is that such a bad thing?" Levi asked, "You sound … displeased."

Glancing at him, Volt quirked an eyebrow. "Displeased?" he repeated, a small smile playing on his lips. "You sound so much like—"

He stopped. And then he really looked at Levi.

But then there was a heavy hand on Levi's shoulder, and Troy's smiling face came into view, and he was laughing merrily. "Levi," he said, "Don't spend the whole time talking to Volt, I'll get jealous!"

Levi couldn't take his eyes off of Volt, mostly because Volt was still staring at him. "Well, I … " Levi stuttered, almost falling back against Triton's chest.

"This won't work, at least fucking tell me where you are!"

Now Triton was pulling Levi towards him, wrapping an arm around his waist. "I can't believe this is happening," he said, sounding a little drunk, "It's fate, isn't it Levi? We wouldn't have been able to be together if you were human!"

Volt was still, still, still staring, his eyes glued to Levi, his mouth silently shaping Levi's name, working through the vowels and consonants.

"Don't think I won't come find you—"

Swallowing, Levi tried and failed to laugh. "We haven't really discussed our relationship yet, Troy … "

" —Levi, listen to me. This is not the right time for you to be out alone—"

"Ah, come on," Triton slurred, ruffling his nose in Levi's hair. "Stop playing hard to get."

" —Don't make me burn down the entire city looking for you, Levi—"

Volt's eyes had gone flat, and the corner of his lip was slowly curling upwards as he watched Levi, and Levi was pretty sure his heart had stopped beating right at that moment.

"That's it, Levi. I'm going to fucking—"

"Shut up, Kraken!"

There was a tick of silence. Volt was now grinning at him, eyes flashing. Everything seemed to drop away.

Levi had said that out loud.


	16. Volume 16!

Volume 16!

Kraken was still yammering in Levi's head. Probably because Levi had told Kraken to shut up out loud.

_He had said that out loud._

"Kraken?" Troy said, swaying into Levi, giggling a little bit, "What does Kraken have to do with anything?"

Trying his damndest not to shove Troy away, Levi kept his gaze on Volt— Volt, who was just standing there, drink in hand, staring at Levi, eyes crackling with pleasure. His smile was impressive, completely triumphant. Levi had never seen him look so pleased. Any second … any second, and he would say something.

Any second, and Levi would be revealed as Leviathan to an entire room of superheroes.

Volt moved suddenly, and Levi prepared himself to transform. If he was going down, than it was as a rampaging sea monster, and he was taking a few of these garishly clad imbeciles with him. His teeth sharpened in his mouth, but then he stopped. Volt had simply lifted his drink to his mouth, and took a long sip— eyes stilled trained on Levi. When Volt moved his hand down, ice clinking in the glass, Levi let out a short breath. Volt's impossibly smug grin became even more arrogant.

"Levi," Volt said, his tone affable, "Don't you want to contact your family? They must be worried."

"That's … " Levi replied with a sharp laugh. Despite everything, he was a little shocked that Volt was playing some cat and mouse game. He even felt relieved. At least this bought him time. "There's no one," he said finally.

Volt cocked his head, raising an eyebrow. After a second, he shrugged. "I see."

There was no way … Levi narrowed his eyes, licking his lips. Was it possible that Volt hadn't figured it out? It made no sense to drag this out any further— if Volt had any brains at all, he would call on his fellow heroes, and have Levi captured immediately. Instead, he was just standing there, smiling like a cat.

Levi had to … he had to do  _something._ With one swift movement, he ducked himself into Troy's chest, nuzzling his face against Troy's neck. "I'm sleepy," Levi mumbled, and almost sneered at how quickly Troy circled his arms around him. Turning his green eyes to Volt, he waited for a reaction, Levi was so close to Troy— close enough to tear Troy's jugular out with his teeth.

There it was. A brief tremor in Volt's hand. His grin had hardened.

He knew. He definitely knew.

Dislodging himself from Troy, Levi looked towards the door. He could try to run. He could try to fight his way out. He could go down in a blaze of glory. None of these options seemed too attractive. Glancing back at Troy, Levi thought … he could take Troy hostage, and slowly inch his way out of HQ, with all of the heroes breathing down his neck. But that wouldn't work. They would follow him, and eventually he would have to let Troy go. Then, the heroes would kill Levi.

Levi felt Troy grabbing at his hand, whining about him pushing away. He ignored it, his mind still racing.

How much time did he have? He could call on Kraken? No, that was stupid. Kraken would come storming in and get himself killed. Maybe Levi could—

"You know," Levi heard, and his thoughts came to a halt. He looked up at Volt, who smiled. Levi felt a cold dose of apprehension."You know," Volt repeated, "If you're tired, I can show you to a room."

"What?" Troy cut in, draping himself over Levi's shoulders. "He's sleeping with me, remember?"

Volt practically snarled at Troy. "Stop being so clingy," he said, his voice uncharacteristically tight, "He treats you like shit."

Both Levi and Troy froze. Levi narrowed his eyes—Volt had never sounded so angry. Whatever smug friendliness he had been exuding before was now gone, and he was glaring,  _glaring,_ at Levi. Did heroes glare?

"Hey," Troy said, his voice sobering somewhat, "Don't be a dick." His hold on Levi didn't waver.

Volt's lip curled upwards, and there was a slight, barely perceptible shake of his head. His eyes had a rueful cast as he stared at Levi, appraising the way Levi stiffly let Troy hang all over him. "Sorry," he said, "Levi, I didn't mean to … " Levi could see the way Volt's hand was clasped tight around his glass. "Still, I think it's best if you stay in separate rooms tonight."

"I'd rather be with Troy," Levi drawled. There was no way in hell he would go off anywhere alone with Volt. He tried not to grimace when Troy pulled him in closer.

"Still," Volt repeated, and there was an edge to his voice. "Tonight, you will be in your own room."

Levi felt Troy tense around him, and he wondered if this was something that was unavoidable. He hadn't ever thought about superhero hierarchy, but if there was some rule of authority, then Volt was probably above Troy. Swallowing, he shouldered away from Troy, and nodded his head.

"Wait," Troy said, grabbing Levi's arm, "Come on, that's … why would we leave Levi alone on his first night— "

"Enough," Volt cut over him, eyes flashing at the contact between Levi and Troy, "No more arguing, Triton, now let go of him."

Whatever Troy said in response was lost on Levi, when he suddenly felt a white hot wash of anger hit his brain. He grimaced, grinding his teeth. He could keep Kraken out, ignore the rapid clicks of Kraken trying to send his thoughts over, but he couldn't keep this pure emotion from soaking his mind.  _"Shit,"_ he seethed,  _"For once, just give me a break."_

He could see Volt, who was now arguing with Troy, staring at him. He had to hide the feelings— but he couldn't, not with how angry Kraken was.  _"I'm serious,"_ Levi said, _"This is the worst possible time for a tantrum, Kraken._ "

The anger stopped. Maybe Kraken had sensed something in Levi's plea, because now there were more clicks, more knocking, and they felt desperate. Levi breathed in deep, but froze when he saw how Volt was looking at him. There was this focused intensity in his eyes, not anger, but … as if he had just fully realized something. He was pushing against Troy's chest, pushing him away, and moving towards Levi.

"I've made my decision," he said, "Levi will not be sleeping with you, Troy."

And then he grabbed Levi's shoulder, and Levi felt the bone crack. "Come with me," Volt said, his voice low as he stared into Levi's eyes. "We have plenty of open rooms."

He had actually fractured Levi's shoulder. Levi was too shocked to register the pain, even as the bone began mending itself. "Right," he hissed. He hoped his fangs hadn't elongated on their own in reaction to the assault.

"But— " Troy said from behind them, but Volt was already leading Levi away.

''''

Volt kept squeezing— breaking Levi's shoulder over, and over, and over. All Levi could do was inwardly seeth at the pain as they walked. He could feel the bone knit back together under his skin, and then immediately fracture again when Volt put on enough pressure, and Levi would see stars for a moment, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

No one noticed this, Levi was able to keep a straight face. Pushing past the throng of superheroes, the swirl of spandex, Volt and Levi finally made it through the door. When Levi heard it shut behind them, he ducked out of Volt's grip, and spun around.

"If you think you can toy with me, hero— " Levi snarled without thinking, his eyes turning into serpentine slits, his claws stretching from his fingers.

Volt almost seemed mesmerized, his lips parting as he looked down at Levi. "Unbelievable," he breathed, his eyes flashing, "You're actually here." He took a step closer. "It's actually you."

Crouching in a fighting stance, Levi hissed, holding his fists up. Volt stared at this, and then his expression broke out into an amused grin. "Now, now," he said, "Every hero in HQ is standing not ten feet away from us, right inside that room. Do you really want to start something, Leviathan?"

"I will have my revenge," Levi replied, rolling his now healed shoulder.

Volt snorted, crossing his arms. "Really?"

Biting his lip, Levi closed his eyes. He really had to come up with some better lines. "Hero," he said after a moment, opening his eyes, "Will you fight me or not?"

Volt's eyebrows were knotted together, the corner of his lips tilted up. "Leviathan," he said, "Why are you acting so distant? It's not like we're strangers." He grinned fully, and Levi shuddered at the overwhelming shine and goodness.

"If you will not fight me … " Levi said, "Then allow me to leave."

"Ah," Volt replied, "No. " He chuckled. "No, that will not be happening. Not when I now have Kraken's brother right here, under my thumb— "

"You would use me to get at Kraken?" Levi said, scowling, but Volt held up his hand.

"—and not when you've been stringing along my cousin for who knows what nefarious reason. You realize, Leviathan, that he's very much invested in you? I don't care if it's puppy love, or whatever, but that you have the gall to play Triton like that … "

Volt frowned, his gaze flashing. "I won't abide by that."

Opening his mouth to respond, Levi was paralyzed by a sudden influx of clicks and feelings of concern. Perfect, he had managed to push Kraken past the point of anger, all the way to being  _concerned._ That kind of maudlin sap coming from Kraken was never a good sign.  _'It's fine.'_ Levi said telepathically, trying to sound as definite as possible.

"What was that?" Volt said, and Levi flinched. "That was you talking to him, wasn't it?" He took a step forward. "Kraken is out there somewhere, right now, talking to you, isn't he?"

Levi took a step back in turn, narrowing his eyes. "Why do you care?" he asked, wary of the fascination in Volt's voice.

"Does he know you're here with me?" Volt asked.

There was something … wrong. Volt should be shackling Levi's arms, or engaging him battle. Slowly, Levi's lip curled. Volt was a superhero, weren't superheroes supposed to be by the book? Why was he keeping Levi's identity to himself? It was almost calculating. Superheroes are not supposed to be calculating. Levi tilted his head, frowning. "Like I would tell him," he said, looking at Volt from the corner of his eye.

"Right," Volt chuckled, "That meathead would come in here guns a' blazing."

Yes, he would. Levi's lips thinned with displeasure. "I— " he started saying, but then paused. He just couldn't shake the odd feeling he was getting from the way Volt was looking at him.

"Would you ask him to come save you?" Volt asked.

"And get him killed? I think not." Levi replied.

Volt smiled at this, and then crossed his arms. "I honestly don't know what to do," he said, his eyes boring into Levi. "I never thought a villain could be so stupid as to walk into HQ alone." Volt's broad chest rose and fell with even breaths, and Levi felt a twinge of annoyance that he was the only one suffering from apprehension. "It makes me wonder how long you thought you could keep this ruse going, little Leviathan?"

The patronizing tone was grating. It was as if Volt was chastising him. "Just stop," Levi snarled, "Why are you prolonging this? Just take me to the cell or whatever it is that's waiting for me now."

Volt's grin lessened somewhat. "No," he said, his voice flat, "I still have some thinking to do," He licked his lips. "This opportunity is just too perfect— but I have to play it right."

Tightening his fists, Levi bowed his head, his eyes pointed up at Volt. "Play it right?" he repeated slowly. "Play what right?"

Volt 'hmm'd', his grin turning slightly more calculated. "I've always been sort of resigned to things, Levi," he said, "I mean, I took what I could— but games and teasing aren't exactly fulfilling my needs."

Ah, so Volt was crazy. "Why must I listen to your ramblings— "

"Look," Volt cut over him, with half-lidded eyes, "You can't escape. I'm not going to tell anyone who you are. The only logical course of action for you, Levi, is to just be obedient and go to bed like a good supervillain."

Volt sighed. "I need time to think."

''''

Levi paced the room.

It looked like a hotel room, with two queen-size beds, bland furnishings, and the overall pervading color of pinkish-cream. The only thing that set the room apart was a reinforced door blockading the exit— electronic passlock beeping beside it.

This had been the only logical course of action, right? Trying to run would have been futile. Besides, giving Volt time to think meant Levi had time to think.

"Shit. Fucking— just, fuck all the crap shit. Goddamnit!"

… Or time to curse.

This was why, after all the arguing and stubbornness and insistence that he was smarter, Leviathan always submitted to Kraken's authority. Kraken had never been dumb enough to pose as a human and have sex with a superhero— Kraken had never been dumb enough to willingly walk into HQ.

Levi plopped down on the bed, allowing himself a small whine from the back of his throat. He wanted to send that whine straight to Kraken, but there was no way, he just couldn't put his brother in danger like that. Kraken would come storming over to HQ without a second thought, and Volt would kill him. Levi  _had_ to deal with this one his own.

There was a beep at the door, and immediately Levi was on his feet, body tense and ready for a fight. He watched the door slide open, and blinked when he saw Troy standing there.

"Ah," was all Levi managed to say, taking in Troy's bare chest and low slung pajama bottoms. Levi stood straighter, and crossed his arms. "You look … ready for bed," he said, cocking an eyebrow.

"I am," Troy replied, grinning goofily as he stepped inside, and the door shut behind him. He strode to Levi, and wrapped his burly arms around Levi's waist, pulling him close. Levi was stiff, his face buried against Troy's warm chest. He scowled when he felt Troy ruffle his hair. "I know Volt sounded like an asshole back there," Troy said, "but he thought he was doing what was best."

Levi was silent. If only Troy knew Volt had probably separated them so that Levi wouldn't lacerate Troy's arteries and run in the middle of the night, leaving Troy as a bloody, gurgling mess on the floor.

"Yes," Levi said finally, "I suppose he did."

"And don't worry about what he said," Troy continued, pressing his cheek against Levi's forehead. He began petting Levi's back. "I know you only act like that because you're scared."

Levi's lip curled. This imbecile. "Yes. " he said, through clenched teeth.

He was expecting more condescending platitudes, but instead he felt a hand thread into his hair, and pull his head up until he was facing Troy. Without even a moment to process what was happening, he felt a pair of warm, hungry lips on his own. Immediately, his arms were raised, pressing against Troy's chest.

Troy broke the kiss. "You're still mad," he said flatly.

"I'm still something," Levi muttered, backing away from Troy, and resuming his seat on the bed. He scratched the top of his head, wondering how the hell he was supposed to deal with this. He looked up, frowning at Troy's open, happy expression. "Troy," he said slowly.

"Yeah?"

"We're not together."

There was a slight falter to Troy's smile. "What?"

"I'm just saying," Levi continued, "We never said this was a relationship. I don't owe you anything."

He had to cement this now. Maybe not soon, but eventually, it would come out that he was Leviathan. He couldn't have Troy holding some grudge against him, or thinking Levi had betrayed him. Levi didn't go in for that kind of lingering blood feud that some villains seemed to relish. He liked things simple.

"If this is about Volt— " Troy began, but then he stopped. Looking down at the ground, he let out a strained chuckle. "Well," he said, "I'm not going to beg, Levi."

That was good. "I don't expect you to," Levi said.

Troy looked up again, and this time he was glaring.  _Glaring._ What was with these heroes? Who taught them how to glare?

"You're not God's gift to man, Levi," Troy said, and then let out a harsh laugh. "This is ridiculous."

That was cute. Troy was showing a little bit of self-respect, finally. "I'm not playing hard to get," Levi said, his voice cold, "I'm saying no."

Levi could tell by Troy's clenched fists, and tighten jaw that he wanted to ask 'but why?' like a child, and it was slightly reassuring that he restrained himself. He was staring at Levi, his expression cloudy, and he finally opened his mouth to say, "This is because of Volt, isn't it?"

"Well— " Levi replied.

"You have a crush on Volt."

"—yes, he … " Levi trailed off. He blinked. "I have a  _what_?"

"And he likes you too obviously, trying to separate us."

This conversation was going to a place that Levi didn't want to visit. He stood up, circled his hands around Troy's arms, and kissed him. It was a light kiss, but it was enough to shut Troy up. "If I have sex with you right now," Levi said, "Would you promise to never again imply that I have any sort of romantic feelings towards Volt?" Or him towards me, Levi thought with disgust.

Troy gawked at him. "I, uh … "

"No strings attached, of course," Levi said, lip curling He leered at Troy, running his finger down Troy's chest.

"But uh, I wanted to talk more about the training thing … if you're still upset, and I wanted to … our relationship."

Levi was pulling his shirt off, dropping it on the ground. Next, he unzipped his pants with nimble fingers, stepping out of them with one fluid movement. He turned from Troy and knelt on the bed, lying on his stomach. He grabbed a pillow, curling it in his arms, resting his chin on it, and then slid back on to his knees, his back arched down. "I mean," Levi said, adjusting himself a little more, "If you don't want to." He glanced over his shoulder, looking at Troy from the corner of his eye. "Be sure to turn the light off on your way out."

After a beat, Troy tore his gaze from Levi's ass. "I mean— I uh," he stuttered, "I only said that thing about Volt because I thought he liked someone, he's been kind of mopey about it, and then he said we couldn't sleep in the same room ..."

"Are you apologizing?" Levi replied. What was so hard about this? Getting fucked was what Levi wanted, not excuses or babbling. Heroes, honestly, were the worst saps.

Troy stared at him for a second. To Levi's surprise, he moved on to the bed, which dipped under his muscled weight. Without pausing, he took Levi's hips in his hands, and pulled Levi's ass back towards his groin. "You really do like— " he stopped, as if trying to find the right word. "Jerks."

"Because I am a jerk," Levi smirked back.

"You are," Troy replied. "It's not really good to be a superhero and a jerk."

Curling his fingers around his arms, Levi rolled his eyes and turned to bury his face in the pillow. He shivered a little as Troy ran a hand down his thigh, and then back up, cupping his ass.

"I don't want to be a superhero," Levi said, grinding himself against Troy's grip.

"That's probably for the best," Troy replied, leaning forward to nip at Levi's back.

"I want out of here," Levi said, keeping his voice coaxing and soft. "I want to go home." Despite the situation, he felt a spike of arousal when Troy placed his hand back at Levi's thigh, and started nudging Levi's legs apart.

"Yeah, yeah," Troy said with a husky voice. "Makes sense."

"Tonight, Troy."

"Yeah," Troy replied, pushing Levi to arch his back down a little more. "Tonight."


	17. Volume 17!

Volume 17!

"What do I need to do to make you like me?"

Levi sighed, flopped his arm over his eyes, and turned his face away from Troy. "You're asking that now?"

His body ached, which was satisfying. At least Troy was good for one thing. So far, he hadn't been living up to expectations in the 'escaping HQ' department.

"Well," Troy pouted.

"Well what?" Levi was starting to suspect that this post-coital cuddling was going to continue far longer than was necessary. It didn't help that Troy was wrapped around him like a goddamn snap bracelet.

Hurry it along, Levi, hurry it along.

He stretched out, and then nuzzled closer against Troy's broad chest. "I like you well enough," he purred, "You're very cute."

He flicked a tongue out, licking a rogue droplet of sweat off Troy's skin. Salty.

"But you don't like cute."

Seriously? Troy was grating on Levi's nerves. Stroking the ego of one's lover is expected, but his constant whining-

Troy shifted up onto his elbows, hovering over Levi. "Just don't sleep with any villains, ok?"

Levi's face went slack. "What?"

"Well, I know you like assholes, and you can't sleep with humans anymore. Villains are the assholes of the superpowered world."

Lip curling, Levi couldn't help but let out a breathy laugh. He reached up, and wrapped his arms around Troys neck. He did present a nice view, all muscled bulk and tan skin. Levi pulled himself up, enjoying the heat from Troy's body.

"Are you telling me there's a whole army of super strength bad boys out there ready to show me a hard time?" Levi said, licking his lips.

A shadow fell over Troy's face. "They would seriously hurt you, you know," he said, sliding his hand down Levi's back. "Is it so bad, being treated gently?"

Levi's eyebrows pinched together with amusement. "You're honestly telling me you've never gotten the urge to shove me over a table, rip my pants off and just go at it?"

He may have felt a slight sadistic joy at the blush on Troy's face.

"No," Troy said adamantly. "I've never, ever wanted to be rough with any—"

Levi cocked an eyebrow. "Anyone?"

"Well," Troy replied. There was... " Sighing, he dropped his head against the crook of Levi's neck. He mumbled something.

Levi rolled his eyes. "This isn't high school, just tell me."

"There's this villain..."

Fixing his gaze to the ceiling, Levi's lips thinned. "Oh?"

"I had this dream once where we just totally went at it, just fucked hard and destroyed the room we were in, and he was just panting and losing it under me."

Levi's mouth ran dry. "You don't say."

"But I could never treat you like that," Troy continued, looking up at Levi with earnest eyes.

What a fucking sweetheart. Levi could have strangled him. "So, this villain..."

"Oh, you know, Leviathan."

Oh. You know. Leviathan.

Levi couldn't control the bout of giggles, his body shaking, and he dropped away from Troy, landing on the soft pillows. If he were Leviathan, Troy would have given him the hate fuck he wanted, but no, he was poor, sweet Levi to this idiot.

Just. Perfect.

"Anyway," Levi said, swallowing down his laughter, "It's gotten pretty late..."

Troy stared down at him. "Were you really serious about that?" Brushing a strand of hair away from Levi's face, Troy sighed wistfully. "Can't let you leave, Levi. It's not safe yet."

"What?" Levi snapped, "but—I—what?"

Troy kept smiling at him.

Scowling, Levi rolled to his side, giving Troy the cold shoulder. He had just played cute and accommodating for no fucking reason, seduced Troy into fucking him for nothing!

Levi glanced up from the corner of his eye. Troy was still observing him, an indulgent smiled plastered on his face.

Ha. Well. Maybe it was time for both of them to stop underestimating Troy's ability to be an asshole.

"""""

Troy herded Levi down the hallway, one arm draped around Levi's shoulders, and his nose pressed against Levi's hair. "What do you like for breakfast?"

"Coffee," Levi replied. He was still stuck on how easily they walked out of his room, Troy hadn't pressed any buttons or anything on that keypad. Had Volt even locked him in? Levi bristled at the thought that he had been left in an open room the whole time.

Ignoring the looks and smirks of the assorted heroes, Levi kept his eyes open for Volt when they entered the cafeteria.

He was sitting with Dee and Firea, talking loudly and laughing even louder. When his eyes hit Levi, however, there was a passing shadow. Levi supposed then wasn't the time for petty victories, but Troy draped all over him must have been a blow to Volt.

"Hey," Troy nodded to them, pulling out a seat for Levi. He sounded nervous.

Volt appraised him. "And what did you two get up to last night?"

"Look," Troy replied quickly, "I know you said that we couldn't share rooms, but I just really didn't want him to be alone!"

He really was too sincere. Levi's lip curled, he may have felt a slight twitch of his deadened conscience—something he had so happily let atrophy—and he crossed his arms with a cough.

"I see," Volt said. He was smiling a roguish grin, but his hard eyes were set squarely on Levi. "Being around us heroes sure is scary, huh?"

"Why would it be?" Levi replied, "I'm a hero too, right?"

Volt's grin widened. "Yes, very true," he said. "And I was thinking we could do another test run, really stretch those new powers of yours."

"I'm up for it," Firea added, taking a sip of tea. Levi mentally scowled at her. He also outright scowled at her. She smiled back. "Wouldn't it be fun to find out what you can do, Levi?"

"Guys..." Troy said ineffectually. Levi placed a hand on his shoulder.

"That sounds like so much fun," he drawled.

"Who knows," Volt said. "Maybe we'll find a hero persona for you while we're at it."

Levi eyed Volt with growing irritation. How long was he planning on dragging out this farce? Until Levi slipped up and exposed himself to everyone? All of Levi's powers were telling, there was no way he could use them.

"I could make my debut when you all attack VillainCon," he said suddenly, and Volt narrowed his eyes.

"No way—" Troy began to stutter, "No, you're not fighting. You can be like Dee or something, a librarian or—"

Levi turned to him with a curled lip. "A librarian?"

"You like books, right?"

"Stop trying to keep him in the kitchen," Firea cut in.

Troy flushed red, and dropped his gaze. But he kept his arm slung around Levi's shoulders. "It's not that," he said, "That's not what I meant." He pulled Levi closer. "I just don't want him to get hurt."

Frowning, Levi looked away from Troy. He caught Volt staring at him with a dark expression, one that clearly said he's too good for you and Levi just smirked. As if Volt could ever make him feel guilty. And what was so great about Troy and his precious sensibilities, anyway?

Not that it mattered. Levi couldn't believe he was allowing himself to get sucked in. None of this meant anything, he wasn't going to be a hero fighting at VillianCon. If he ever managed to escape, then there wouldn't even be a VillianCon. He would warn everyone from going.

Still... it could be entertaining to wipe that achingly sweet expression off of Troy's face.

"I've had my fill of books," he said, his eyes narrowing with anticipation. "And you're right, I have all these new abilities. I should really test them out."

Volt considered him, and then shook his head with a smile. "That's very admirable, Levi, how easily you're taking this in stride."

Shrugging, Levi matched his stare. "Well?"

A long sigh escaped Volt's lips, and then he pushed himself to his feet. "Well," he said in agreement. "Let's put you to the test."

''''

Now it just seemed like they were showing off.

Levi was standing in yet another arena, different than the city scape and the sand pit. This one was more practical, the size of several football stadiums, and spread out through the entire length were enormous square pillars that reached up to the dome ceiling.

"Don't be scared," Troy breathed against his ear. He was standing behind Levi, hands clasped loosely to Levi's hips.

They were wearing matching outfits.

Deep blue spandex body suits. At least they weren't bright orange. But still, matching.

"I'll try not to be," Levi replied drolly, tugging at the sleeve of his suit. He missed his leather. His sartorial choices had always been intricately planned, so that he would look as cool as possible. Not for vanity's sake, of course, he just had to combat the image of shredded, unrecognizable outfits that Kraken usually left them with.

"They'll go easy on you," Troy murmured, pressing a kiss against Levi's temple. "Nothing to worry about."

Pursing his lips, Levi allowed Troy to continue petting him reassuringly. He observed the arena from their spot on a platform high above. As the rules were explained to him, he and Troy had to find their team's flag, and then make it to the other side of the arena before Volt and Firea did.

Fighting was allowed.

Despite the circumstance, he did feel a tendril of excitement in his gut. These arenas at HQ were... fun.

"You just make it to the other side," Troy continued, "I'll handle the rest."

Levi smirked. "Okay."

There was a loud gonging, and Troy stepped up next to Levi, and bent down as if he was about to participate in a track race. Snorting, Levi couldn't help but smile at the determined look in his eyes. He really wanted to win.

Not that Levi felt too inclined towards losing either, not against Volt. So why the hell not, he leaned down too.

He could see Firea and Volt, down several yards, poised to start too. Volt turned to look at him, and Levi snarled. "Troy," he said, glancing around. Troy must have seen the look in Levi's eye, because he shot him a grin and wink. Levi nodded.

The second gong rang out, and Levi jettisoned off the platform. He landed on the floor of the arena with a soft thud. The other three could fly, so for fairness sake, it was decided that Firea had to be grounded as well. He saw her land, but he was already moving, sprinting through the columns.

Sensing an electric tension in the air, he pushed up against a pillar just as a thunderbolt crashed from the sky. He looked up to see grey, flashing clouds swirling, covering the entire ceiling. The room darkened, and he pushed away from the column, moving forward.

Racing along, he started to pick up speed, as well as confidence, which may have been a bad idea. Just as he passed a column, Firea swung out from behind him, and landed a solid blow to his chest. He flew back, and slid across the ground, coughing. Hearing footsteps, he looked up just as Firea leaned down to grab his jaw. "Hello little Levi," she said, her lip curling.

Grimacing as ridges grew along his spine, he thanked the gods she was in front of him. He subdued the monster, and glared up at her.

"Now, now," she said, tapping his face. "No need to give me that look. I just want to talk to you while the boys are occupied."

He grabbed her wrist, and fought the urge to dig his nails into her skin. She knelt down, and stared straight into his eyes. "Careful," she said quietly, and then suddenly his palm was burning. He let go with a hiss, and stared down at his hand. His skin was blistered and red, but it quickly regenerated.

"You heal fast," she said, as if she was commenting on the fucking weather. Levi glanced up at her with narrowed eyes.

"Now, see," she continued, "Triton doesn't heal fast. He really feels his wounds before they go away. He gets hurt."

"I hear people learn from pain," Levi replied.

Letting out a light breath, Firea's cold smile froze over completely. "You really are a snake," she said, "Got your fangs sunk in deep." Grip tightening on Levi's chin, she jerked him closer. "You listen to me, bastard, he's a sweet, gentle guy. If you don't like him, then don't fucking string him along."

Before he realized it, Levi's hackles were raised. "You just want him yourself," he snarled.

There was a flash in Firea's eyes, and then she leaned back on her haunches. "So you do like him," she said flatly. "Or you just like having a toy." Snorting, she shook her head. "You really lucked out, with this whole baby hero thing. It's almost too perfect to be a coincidence. He thinks you guys are fucking soul mates because he awoke your powers or some shit."

Levi blinked at her. That was... terrible news.

Slicing out a hand, he caught her in the ribs. She fell back, wheezing. Levi was on his feet in the next instant, sprinting away. He heard a roar behind him, and ducked behind a pillar just as a fireball blasted by.

"Little Levi," Firea cooed. He could hear her footsteps nearing him. "That hurt. You really know where to hit."

Inching around the pillar, Levi trotted down several rows lengthwise. The air was still heavy with static, prickling against his skin. He hadn't heard any fighting. He looked up, but all he could see were the clouds.

There was a flash, the roar of thunder. When the clouds lit up, he could see the faint silhouettes of Volt and Triton. So, they were dueling up there. Levi was a little disappointed that he couldn't watch how Troy fared against Volt. They probably were evenly matched strength wise, but Volt had been fighting for much longer than Troy.

...not that Levi was worried.

He glanced around the pillar, the row was clear. He jogged at a swift pace, keeping his eyes peeled for the neon orange of the flag, and his ears open for Firea's footsteps. This would be the perfect situation to kill her and make it look like an accident, he thought idly.

He felt a sudden chill, the hair on his arms standing up, and realized it was drizzling. Cracks of thunder were sounding off in the distance. "Firea," he said quietly.

There was a chuckle. "Observant too," came Firea's voice, she must have been right around the corner of the pillar. "You really are meant to be a hero."

"Is that all it takes?" Levi replied.

He heard nails scraping along the pillar, and then Firea was there. "No," she said, "But it's a start."

"Are you trying to convince me of something?"

Appraising him with a smile, Firea took a measured step forward. "I'm just hoping you have at least one redeeming quality behind that self-satisfied, pompous smirk of yours, because it's really fucking embarrassing that Troy chose you over me."

"How flattering," Levi replied, matching her movement with a step backwards. "You like my smile?"

She snorted, shaking her head. "You're really amazing."

"Can't help it if that idiot has bad taste." Glancing to the side, Levi wondered if he could make it to the next pillar without being scorched to a crisp.

"Idiot..." Firea replied, and she's suddenly gone again. Levi jerked around, looking for he, but the row was empty. He took off, running as fast as he could for the other side of the arena.

Maybe he shouldn't have called Troy an idiot with so much disdain.

He could hear her running, she must have been almost parallel with him. He pushed himself harder, and then he saw it. The flash of orange at the top of a pillar ahead of him. The flag.

Picking up momentum, he bit his lip, and planned his ascent. He altered direction by a few degrees, jumped, slammed into the pillar, and propelled himself away. He hit the opposite pillar, repeated the action, and quickly made his way upwards.

Skidding on to the top of the pillar, he glanced skyward, still saw no trace of Volt, and then headed for the orange flag waving in front of him. He reached for it, when he heard a thud from behind him.

"I'm impressed," Firea said. "Really."

He turned around to look at her. She was standing with squared shoulders, fireballs swirling frenetically in her palms.

"I was on track team in high school," Levi replied.

The corner of Firea's lip curled upwards. She advanced on Levi, the fire in her hands crackling from the drizzle.

Breathing in deeply, taking in the moist air, Levi prepared himself. He really was handicapped without his powers, not to mention he was supposed to be an amateur. But Firea didn't seem intent to charge him, so he waited.

"The thing is, Levi, I'm not the only one who cares about Troy. All of HQ is his family. The only reason you were greeted so warmly is because he likes you," Firea said. "Do you understand that?"

Levi swallowed, his tongue feeling like sandpaper. He slid a foot back. "What—" he said tightly, "Are you saying I should be afraid because he might throw a tantrum?" He could only imagine what it would be like to have all of HQ against him. "You want me to cut ties with him, right?

"Only," he continued, "I've tried, yes? But that stupid puppy won't stop sniffing at my ankles, got it? He just keeps following me around like a hopeless teenager, no matter how I treat him, no matter what I tell him. So you go tell that to the HQ family, tell them to reign him in, because I absolutely don't give a fuck."

Levi could see when he crossed the line. Firea's eyes flashed, and she was running forward, arm drawn back, poised to lob a fireball at him.

With no intention of becoming a Leviathan filet, he swirled around and sprinted for the flag, clasping it in his hands without stopping. If he could just hop his way from pillar to pillar all the way to the other side of the arena, maybe he could—

There was a roar behind him, and intense heat, but then something hard crashed into him and he was falling over the edge of the pillar, but he didn't hit the ground either. Troy did. With Levi clutched in his arms.

Pushing away from Troy's heaving body, Levi skidded back on his ass, and just stared. "This is too much..." he said.

He could see the charred, melted skin on Troy's back, the spandex completely burned away. That... hero had taken the fire for Levi, and then absorbed the impact of falling off the giant pillar.

Groaning, Troy shifted to his elbows, his hair falling down around his face. "You okay, Levi?"

"Shut up," Levi hissed without thinking. His eyes were glued to Troy's injuries.

Troy looked at him, a small, weary smile on his face. "Don't worry," he said, "It won't look like that forever."

This must have been what a crisis of faith was. Levi was feeling bad. And he felt even worse after Troy spoke those words, his heart clenching painfully. He looked away for a moment, running his tongue over his chapped lips, and then crawled towards Troy. "Does it hurt?" he asked in the softest voice he could muster.

"A kiss might make the pain go away," Troy replied, sitting up with pained movements. His smile was the ghost it's charming self, but he held out a hand to Levi.

Levi exhaled. It had to be someone else, not Levi, not Leviathan, who slipped pale fingers into Troy's grip, and moved into his gentle hold. A villain wouldn't bow his head to press a comforting kiss against Troy's forehead. And yet, Levi did, kneeling there with Troy sitting below him. Levi was careful not to touch Troy's back, resting his hands on his broad shoulders.

"We can still win," Troy said lightly, coughing, and then nodding towards the flag several feet away.

Levi stared at him with a frown. "There's nothing to gain by it," he said finally, and then kissed Troy again, this time on the lips. He could feel Firea standing behind him, just from the heat emanating against his back, and as he kissed Troy, kissed his temple, Levi opened his eyes to see Volt in front of him.

Volt's eyes were trained on Troy's back, and then they jerked to Levi. Levi almost flinched at the staggering anger behind them.

"Levi," Troy mumbled, breaking Levi's concentration. He leaned back, but Troy caught him by the hips. "I like it when you're nice."

Levi closed his eyes. And then he pulled away from Troy's grip, getting to his feet with a fluid movement, but he staggered. He felt drained, weak. He stared down at Troy, wiping his mouth and backing away. His gaze fluttered back up to Volt, and then to the side. He wanted to laugh. So much for making sure there wouldn't be any grudge.

"Levi?" Troy asked, his eyebrows pinching together.

Shaking his head, Levi took another step back. "I can't—" He thudded into something, and looked up to see Volt.

"Triton," Volt said, "You should rest in the infirmary. You—" he looked at Firea, "—take him. And next time, show a little discretion with that trigger finger of yours."

Nodding, Firea stepped forward, his lips in a thin line, to grab Troy's arm and help him clamber to his feet. He was healing, Levi could see that, but it was slow, and Troy kept grimacing with each step he and Firea took. Finally, Firea gently counted to three, and then they were flying up towards the platform.

"So, you managed to get my cousin charbroiled."

Levi turned around to scowl at Volt. "No, more like your lovely Firea wanted to turn me into cinders." He smirked. "And she still thinks I'm poor, innocent Levi. So, how exactly are murderous tendencies like that acceptable for a hero?"

Considering him silently, Volt crossed his arms over his massive chest. "What can I say, you just seem to bring it out in people."

Levi snorted. "Do I?" he said with the curve of his eyebrow. "Really hateful, am I? Then why am I still walking around free? Why haven't you locked me up?"

This seemed to bother Volt more than anything else. He turned on Levi, grabbed his wrist, and jerked him forward. "I keep asking myself the same question, why do I let this villain play my cousin like a goddamn puppet."

Grinning, he pulled Levi closer. "But then, I think, maybe it's Troy who has you dancing, Leviathan. You looked awfully cute comforting him like that."

Levi's blood ran cold, fangs growing in his mouth. "Shut up," he hissed. His eyes clouded, turning the monster's inky black.

"Are you planning something, Levi? Or are you just scared? What happens when he finds out who you are?"

"I'm not scared," Levi breathed.

Shoving him away, Volt laughed. "No?" he said, "Should I just tell him, then?"

Levi paused, staring at Volt with wide eyes. If Troy found out—hell, if any of them found out, Firea especially, he would be dead.

"I didn't think so," Volt said. "So, you're just going to keep playing the good little boyfriend, maybe even put some fucking effort into it."

"Why?" Levi snapped, "Why? Don't you care about Triton? Why would you want me to string him along?"

There was a hardness to Volt's smile. He just shook his head, not responding to Levi's question. "Go home, Leviathan," he said, "I'm sure your brother is missing you."

Levi stared at him. "What?"

"Go home," Volt repeated with a shrug. "You're not a hero, you don't belong here."

Levi couldn't believe it. He narrowed his eyes, his shape returning fully back to human. "Just like that?" he said quietly.

Giving him a rueful smile, Volt nodded. "Just like that."

''''

Most of the drive was mired in a heavy silence. Troy— was healed, apparently, but his terse reply to Levi's asking about it was odd. Levi set that aside. He was too wrapped up in wondering what Volt had planned to really pay attention to how Troy was acting, but his scowl deepened with each sigh from the driver's side of the car.

"What?" he snapped.

"I just don't understand," Troy replied, his voice dangerously close to a whine, "Why would Volt let you leave? He promised me—"

He stopped, gulping, and then shot Levi a nervous grin.

"He promised you what? To keep me locked up for you?" Levi replied with a bored tone. This was beyond ridiculous.

"Don't make it sound like that!"

"Would you grow a pair?" Levi hissed, "I swear to god, it's exactly what you meant. You wanted to prevent me from leaving, just say it. Heroes are so fucking— they never just admit when they want to do something selfish. They have to cloak it in all this bullshit about what's right and good."

There was silence from the other side of the car. Levi shut his eyes. He was an idiot.

"Yeah?" Troy said, sounding a little lost. "You kinda... Do you have something against heroes?"

"I do not."

He did, he really, really did. First there was Troy, who required babysitting. Not fun. Then there was Volt, who was playing games. Levi usually could find enjoyment in games, but since he wasn't quite following Volt's train of thought, he didn't know the rules.

Chuckling, Troy let out what must have been the umpteenth sigh. "Ok," he said, "Maybe I've been a little... clingy."

Things were pretty dire when Levi started missing Rage. Right about now, that asshole wouldn't be trying to find a deeper understanding of his feelings, he would be telling Levi that it was marriage or Kraken's life. And then Levi would have sliced his throat open. Somehow, Levi figured that dealing with Troy required a little more delicacy.

"But I... really like you, Levi," Troy continued. "I think you're fun to be with, which I guess makes me a masochist."

"Is that a comment on my personality?" Levi replied wryly.

Troy gave him a crooked smile, but didn't say anything.

Turning his back out to the window, Levi wondered about the grin on his own face. It was certainly easy being with Troy, humoring him and... spoiling him. Levi frowned. It sounded like he was talking about a child. He did not want to be with a man-child.

"In any case," Troy said merrily, "You'll come back, right? I mean, you do have these new powers, and we don't really know what they are—"

"It's not important," Levi cut in sharply. "I don't care. I don't want to find out."

Troy shot him an odd look. He probably shouldn't have sounded so adamant. It would be only natural to wonder what his powers were. "I just mean, I don't want to be a superhero," Levi said, "So... it doesn't really matter."

He just wanted to make it home.

"You don't care..." Troy said, "Ok. And you don't care about me."

Closing his eyes, Levi kneaded the bridge of his nose. "It's impossible."

All of sudden, loud country music started blasting in the car, and Levi jerked back in his seat with a hiss. "What the—"

He looked over at Troy, who was staring out at the road with hard eyes, his mouth set in a stubborn line. What, so he was just going to drown out Levi so he wouldn't have to hear it? How childish was he?

"I like this song," he said, looking over at Levi.

Levi stared at him, then reached for the dashboard. Troy slapped his hand and he retracted it with an open mouth. "Don't," Troy said firmly. He seemed content with just listening to the infernal country music for the rest of the drive, ignoring Levi completely.

Sighing with frustration, Levi crossed his arms. He glanced at Troy, and Volt's words echoed in his head. "How's... your back."

"Fine."

Well, this was going to be hard. "I'm sorry," he said finally.

"For what?"

That was it. Levi shut his mouth. He couldn't do this, he couldn't humor Troy.

'''''

Levi crashed through his front door, the knob bouncing off the wall. "Kraken!" he screamed, "We're leaving! Now!"

Stomping around the duplex, he lifted books, set them down, picked up a picture, and set it down. Useless things. He would leave them. "Kraken!"

"Quit your yellin'!"

He turned around to see Kraken standing in the hallway entrance, towel wrapped around his waist, water dripping from his usually wild, brown hair. "Where the fuck have you been?" he said, stabbing at Levi with his finger, "What the fuck do you mean we're leaving?"

Grabbing his arm, Levi started shoving him back down the hallway. "That's not important, let's just say I messed up in a huge way, ok? Now it's your time to be a big brother and help me clean up this mess."

"What?" Kraken replied stupidly, "Now hold on!" He dug his heels into the carpet, and gripped Levi's wrists, holding him steady. "You have to tell me what happened before I can fix anything, yeah?"

Levi stared into his brother's stupid, idiotic brown eyes, and it suddenly hit him that he was finally at home, not at HQ, not surrounded by his mortal enemies. A low, tired whine escaped his throat, and he ducked against Kraken's solid chest. He felt buff arms wrap around him, and he sagged pitifully in Kraken's grip.

"Shit, Leviathan," Kraken said, and Levi winced at the waver in his voice, "You were missin' for two days, and you didn't— where have you been?"

Levi gathered himself, and opened his mouth. "I—"

There was a knock at the door.

"Fucking really," Kraken muttered, dislodging Levi from his chest. Levi instinctively grabbed Kraken's pinkie like the useless baby he was, and followed Kraken to the door. Kraken twisted the knob, and swung the door open. "What?" he snapped.

"Oh—" Volt said.

Levi gawked. And so did Volt. Specifically, he gawked at Kraken, whose towel was slowly slipping down his waist.

"What?" Kraken repeated. "What do you want?"

Volt slowly looked up to Kraken's face, and blushed. "I, uh—" He paused for a moment, and then his eyes were warm and amused. "I'm Vick. I'm a friend of Levi's."

Eyeing him with a curled lip, Kraken scratched at his chest. "This one of your men?" he asked Levi, "I told you I don't want em' coming around here."

"I'm just a friend," Volt interjected quickly, holding his palm up. His eyes were glued to Kraken's fingers rubbing against his chest. He licked his lips and looked at Levi. "Right?"

Still frozen in place, Levi just stared. Volt was at his home. This was more terrifying than when Triton showed up at his house, but Volt... he was dressed in a nice suit, his hair slicked back, he had obviously put thought and effort into his appearance. Why was he doing this?

"Right?" Volt said again, with a pointed tone. "And you invited me over, didn't you?"

"I did..." Levi murmured.

"That's right," Volt said with a nod, slipping past them to walk into the house. "And here I am."

He stood in the living room, turning around once, observing the room, and then his eyes fell on Kraken again. "Won't you introduce me, Levi?"

Levi felt sick. "Uh," he said, "This is Ken, my cousin. Ken... this is Vick."

"Ok," Kraken replied with a shrug, ignoring Volt's outstretched hand. "Look, if there's no problem—" he said to Levi specifically, "—I'm missing my game."

"You like football?" Vick cut in, "I like football."

Kraken looked at him. "Uh, yeah, ok," he said. He plopped down on his Lay-Z-Boy, towel now failing almost entirely at it's job. Clicking on the tv, he glanced up at Vick, "Don't stick around too—"

Already sitting down on the couch, Volt grinned at Kraken. "Which team do you root for?"

"What?" Kraken said, cocking an eyebrow. He looked over at Levi, and then back at Volt. "Grab me a beer from the fridge and I'll tell you."

"Sure," Volt said, standing up. He brushed by Levi without even acknowledging him, like he wasn't even standing there.

Levi quickly strode to the Lay-Z-Boy, and knelt down next to Kraken. "Look—"

Kraken was laughing. "Was that human aiming for you?" he chuckled, flipping the footrest out, and leaning back. "Doesn't really seem like he would go for your hoity-toity literary type."

Levi closed his eyes. "No, Kraken, I need to tell you—"

"Kinda acts like he wants my cock, don't he?"

Kraken had said this distractedly, punching at his remote and cursing under his breath when the television switched to a cooking channel. Levi just stared at him, with dawning horror. That stupid, idiotic brother of his had said it as a joke, but—

"Here you go!"

Levi jumped to his feet just as Volt lobbed a beer at Kraken, who caught it and popped the tab. "Thanks, bro," Kraken said, tilting his head back and gulping down the drink. A droplet of golden beer slid down from the corner of his mouth, running over his stubbled chin, making it's way down his neck.

"No problem," Volt replied with a happy sigh. Levi looked at him, and saw that he was staring at Kraken like Kraken was a fucking lightening rod. Or whatever it was that got Volt's rocks off. He looked ready to pounce, right there in the living room of Kraken's and Levi's duplex. He glanced over at Levi, still faintly blushing, and shook his head.

"This is really great," he said, "Thank you, Levi, for letting me in."


	18. Volume 18!

Volume 18!

Levi took in Volt's arrogant mug, his flashing eyes, and the way he was standing so at ease in Levi's home, _Volt_ , their enemy who walked into the lion's den, risking his life and his cover identity all because he wanted...

Levi, eyebrows raised, pointed at Kraken. " _Him_?"

Burping, Kraken looked up at them as he tilted his can toward his mouth, some beer sloshing down his chest when his aim went wide. He sopped it up and licked his fingers. "Me what?"

He didn't wait for answer, all of his attention zipping back to the tv when the crowd roared. He jumped up, hollering at the top of his lungs, his fist pumping in the air. His towel slipped off completely. Levi choked, watching his brother jumping up and down buck-naked, and did the first thing that came to mind: Scramble in front of Volt, and shove his hand over Volt's eyes.

He heard Volt's light snort, and gritted his teeth. "Get out of my house."

"Now, now, Levi," Volt replied, pulling Levi's hand away. His grin was pure amusement, but his eyes were trained hungrily on Kraken's naked form.

With a sharp 'tsk', Levi whirled on Kraken. "Get _dressed._ "

Kraken glanced down at himself, and then shrugged with cocky smile on his face. Levi wanted to strangle him, even more so when Kraken nodded towards Volt, lifting his beer can up. "I fucking nailed it, didn't I? Look at you drooling."

Shaking his head, Volt just chuckled.

Kraken looked back at Levi "All of you guys are fucking horndog—"

' _Kraken._ ' Levi glared. Kraken immediately stopped short.

"Yeah, alright," he replied, running his hand through his hair. He turned to the hallway, but Levi strode to him, grabbing his wrist.

"That—those sandals with socks you love so much, and the orange hawaiian shirt, ok?"

"Yeah?" Kraken's chest puffed up. "You know, I just got this two-for-one pack of shirts with like big-titty luau chicks on it," he said cupping at his chest.

Levi stared at him. "Fine, whatever, just _go_."

When Kraken disappeared down the hallway, Levi drew in a long breath, and then he turned on Volt, who was standing with his arms crossed, his head tilted and a smile playing on his chiseled features. "I already knew your brother was a doofus, there's no point trying to scare me off now," Volt said.

Scowling, Levi narrowed his eyes at Volt. "What game are you playing?"

"What game?" Volt replied, cocky smile well in place. He sauntered up to Levi, and threw an arm around his shoulders, leaning in close to say, "You know it well enough, Levi, it's a cute little game where I pretend to be someone I'm not so I can flirt with your brother as much as I want, and he won't have a single clue who I really am."

"You would deceive him like that?" Levi snapped, and then Volt cocked an eyebrow.

_Shit._ Volt had him dead to rights. Yet...

"I'm a villain," Levi said, shoving away from Volt, "but you are a hero."

This seemed to hit the mark, Volt shifting uncomfortably, losing some of his outward arrogance. But then he exhaled, his eyes closing. "Yes, but Levi, you forget the second half of the game." And there's something in his voice that tells Levi he should be, maybe, a little concerned.

Before he can ask Volt what he's going on about, Kraken walked back into the living room, now sporting his stupid sandals with socks, and his even more stupid. garish shirt—which was unbuttoned, hanging open to reveal his pro-wrestler's physique. When Levi caught Volt openly devouring Kraken with his eyes, he quelled the urge to vomit.

The last thing he had ever needed to see was Kraken _desired._

"Listen, kiddo," Kraken said, grabbing his keys from the top of the tv set, "Something's come up that I need to deal with."

Levi frowned at the seriousness of Kraken's tone. "What is it?"

"Uh..." Kraken replied, casting a glance at Volt, "nothing big, just gotta … go on a beer run."

When the front door shut, Volt turned to Levi. "He was lying, you know."

Levi did know. His brother sucked at hiding things, and his shifty act just then was obvious, but Levi didn't want to discuss it with Volt. "You should leave."

"Or we should follow him."

"Or you should _leave_ ," Levi repeated snappishly, spinning on Volt. "This has nothing to do with you, at all. Do you understand? He's my brother, my teammate, and you simply do not factor into that equation."

"We're going to lose him if you keep talking," Volt said, completely ignoring Levi as he headed for the door, and it only took a few splutters and indigent eyeblinks before Levi was right behind him, jogging to keep up with Volt's long strides. Kraken was already at the end of the block by that point, hands stuffed in his khaki shorts.

"You know," Volt said idly, "when I made the decision to come here, never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd get to see your brother in all his...glory."

"Shut up."

"He didn't seem repulsed by my attentions."

Levi shook his head, not giving Volt a single inch.

"So … is it possible to hope—"

"No." Levi looked over at Volt. " _No._ "

"Hmm.."

They strode in silence. Levi kept opening his mouth to say something truly witty and biting, but every time he did, he remembered just what exactly Volt had on him. Which was everything; he knew who Levi was, he knew who Kraken was, he knew where they lived, and he also knew what would happen if those secrets were revealed.

Levi couldn't let that happen.

"You haven't asked how Triton is," Volt said, breaking Levi of his thoughts.

"Why would I waste my time?"

"Oh, Levi," Volt chuckled, but his humor sounds forced, "How I yearn to break your neck."

Levi's lip curled. "The feeling is mutual."

—

"Does your brother usually go to tea boutiques?"

From where he sat at an umbrella-shaded cafe table, Levi observed Kraken toss a handful of cucumber sandwiches into his mouth, grimace, try to chug from an ornate teacup that was dwarfed in his hand, set the teacup down—only to have it crack from the force—and then subtly try to brush the evidence under his napkin.

"No," Levi said dryly, "he does not."

"There was this one heist he and your predecessor pulled once," Volt said, his tone infuriatingly amiable, "I would bet my mask that he picked that bank because there was a seafood joint next door."

Levi was about to ignore him, but then something clicked into place, and he looked at Volt with newfound curiosity. "You've known my brother for a long time."

With an amused smile, Volt crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "Longer than you've been alive."

Levi scowled at that, but it wasn't like he could hide his interest. Kraken had always been infuriatingly mum about his past and his original brother. But Volt knew them both and had even spoken to Leviathan. "Was he like me?"

The frown on Volt's face was small, and he glanced at Levi from the corner of his eye. "No."

Already feeling more vulnerable than he would have liked, Levi ran his tongue over pointed teeth, vowing to himself not to beg for any scraps of information. He didn't need it. But then Volt cleared his throat and said, "He was a sadistic—he was…" After a long exhale, Volt turned his head away from Levi. "He was a true villain, I'll give him that."

"Are you implying that I am not a true villain?" Levi replied dryly, eyes narrowed, finger tapping on the surface of the table.

Volt grinned. "You're a nuisance." His eyes slid to Kraken. "An adorable one, if I'm to believe Triton on anything, but not my type."

"This whole time—" Levi replied dubiously, pausing, " _Kraken_? For how long?"

Tilting his head, Volt smiled when Kraken tried to wave down a waiter who was obviously intimidated by him, Volt said, "It feels like a lifetime, Leviathan. I was a trainee when I met him."

Volt's flashing eyes were back on Levi. "I remember the first day he brought you out for a heist."

"Are you really jealous of me?" Levi replied, lip curling with amusement.

Volt didn't get to answer. They both saw him at the same time.

Rage. He walked out onto the cafe patio, wearing his businessman attire, hair slicked back, chiseled face set in an annoyed frown, which only deepened when he caught Kraken's appearance. Running a hand down his jacket, he sat across from Kraken.

"What is going on?" Levi breathed, eyes wide.

"Who is that?" Volt asked, which was when Levi cursed under his breath. The longer he let Volt follow him around the worse it was going to get. But at least this was just asshole Rage, so Levi didn't feel particularly guilty about saying, "Ragerous Rex."

"I thought you three had a falling out," Volt replied, not sounding fazed in the least bit.

So did Levi, but it didn't look like Kraken and Rage were about lunge at each other or anything, in fact they were speaking quite civilly, as far as Levi could tell. "Maybe they're discussing your dowry," Volt said with a chuckle.

On the other hand, Levi was very close to lunging at Volt. Instead he just glared and hissed, "Can you _leave_?"

This was already a mess. He didn't need a hero there making it even worse. Maybe Kraken and Rage were getting along at that moment, but both had hair-trigger tempers. Levi could already feel his spikes pushing under his skin, instinct telling him to prepare for battle.

Volt considered him. "You know whose side I'd be on, if Rage tried anything, right? Are you sure you want me to leave, Leviathan?"

A low snarl emanated from Levi's throat. "And do you really want a fight breaking out in the middle of downtown? I might be able to keep the situation settled, but if they knew you were here—"

"They wouldn't know it was me," Volt replied calmly.

Levi narrowed his eyes. "What?"

The smile on Volt's face was obnoxious and smug, and Levi was about to tell him just that when they heard a crash. "Shit," Levi said, head jerking around.

Kraken was standing up, he had shoved everything off the table. Rage was lounging back in his chair, one arm flopped over the back, and smirking up at him. "You bastard," Kraken said, "You—"

Jumping to his feet, Levi felt a tug on his arm. Volt was standing too. "Let it play out first," he said with a shake of his head. When Levi opened his mouth to protest, he said, "They're both in their human forms, they won't risk exposure."

"What did you expect?" Rage said, head cocked as he spoke to Kraken, his voice audible now that the cafe was completely silent. "That I would just give up? That I didn't have a plan?"

Kraken was visibly trembling with anger, and Levi could just start to make out the inky blackness pooling in his eyes. With a sigh, Levi jerked his arm out of Volt's grip. "You underestimate their stupidity."

And with that, he pushed past the other diners on the patio, until he was next to Kraken. Rage actually looked surprised to see him there.

Kraken, well— _What. The. Fuck,_ Levi heard in his head. _Get the fuck out of here._

_Why are you talking with him?_

Instead of answering, Kraken shoved Levi behind his bulky form, and pointed at Rage. "You try it, and I _swear_ , I will circle your big, scaly throat, and I will strangle the very last breath from your lungs—and right before you die, I will let you breath." Kraken paused, obviously trying to contain himself, "And then I will drag you to the deepest pits of the ocean, and watch you drown."

All through that, Rage looked less than impressed. "There's nothing you can do, Kraken," he said, smiling his millionaire's smile. His eyes moved to Levi. "Hello, darling," His expression turned dangerous, "I haven't heard from you in awhile."

Kraken snapped, "You have lost your fucking mind. He doesn't want you!"

"Kraken," Levi said, touching his brother's arm with a calming gesture. _We need to end this or at least move it away from here._

That seemed to wake Kraken up, as he wildly glanced around the cafe. His eyes landed on Volt, who was standing about a yard away, looking half grim and half amused. _What is he doing here?_

Levi had almost forgot about Volt in the moment. But then Volt joined them, standing solidly next to Kraken.

And then he said, "Kraken, Rage."

Levi felt Kraken stiffen. Rage just raised his eyebrows, but he didn't look very surprised. "…Who are you?"

When Levi saw the grin on Volt's face, he had a pre-cognizant feeling that he knew exactly what was going to happen next. He also really, _really_ wanted to crawl into a hole and not have to witness the fucking mess Volt was about to create.

"Me?" Volt replied innocently, slapping a hand down on Levi's shoulders. "Oh, just a friend of Leviathan's from out of town." Levi could practically hear the grin in his voice. "Name's Jupiter."

Rage stared. And then he snorted, his eyebrows pinching together with amusement. "Jupiter. The thunder god."

Shrugging, Volt returned Rage's cocky grin.

The grin faded. "You're a villain?"

This was turning into a pissing match, Levi realized. Why he expected Volt not to join in, he'll never know. "Rage," he said firmly, "This is not the place."

"But we have a god here, Levi," Rage said, gesturing expansively at Volt. "How often does that happen?"

"I'm a god," Levi snapped.

Rage's lip curled. "You're a pet fish."

"For someone so keen on having Leviathan as a husband, you don't speak to him very nicely," Volt said, and Levi had to do a double-take because Volt actually sounded sincere.

Rage considered the three of them with hooded eyes, all of his previous arrogant demeanor replaced with curled-lip annoyance. Crossing his arms, he tilted his head. "Look at you, Levi, with your big ol' body guards. Are you even a man?"

What had Levi ever seen in this douchebag? Besides the astronomical hotness, the money, the confidence…

Levi scowled, but then he drew himself up with a smirk. "You know well enough that I am."

He heard Volt snort. "Let's go," he said, gesturing for Kraken and Volt to follow him.

—

They sat in the duplex living room, Kraken on his La-Z-Boy, and Volt and Levi on the couch. Finally, Kraken said, "So—you are a villain, right?"

"Yes," Volt said, a little too easily, as far as Levi was concerned.

"Jupiter?" Kraken continued dubiously.

Volt shrugged.

Levi's stomach was turning. He hated sitting there, with this _hero_ , watching his brother be lied to by his arch-enemy, and Levi was just letting it happen.

Scratching at his chest, Krakens eyebrows were raised. "I met Amphitrite once, but she didn't like me very much." He glanced at Levi. "Why didn't you say anything to me?"

"I—" Levi choked, but Kraken waved him off.

"Does this mean you want to join our team?"

Volt's eyebrows rose. But then he smiled. "Sure."

" _What_?" Levi snapped.

"Why not?" Volt said to him, his eyes glinting.

Levi dug his nails into the couch. "So, you want to come with us. When we commit crimes. When we do villainy."

Volt just nodded amiably. "I was hoping to attend VillainCon as well."

Mouth dropping, Levi felt dizzy for a moment, but then he gathered himself with a dry swallow. "Putting that aside for now," he said faintly, moving his gaze back to Kraken. "What were you talking to Rage about?"

Kraken shifted in his seat, actually avoiding Levi's eyes. "Just, uh, wrapping up a few things."

"What things?" Levi said.

"Would you just drop it—" Kraken started to growl, but pulled himself back when he glanced at Volt, and with a sigh, said, "I wish you had never taken up with that asshole, he's un-fucking-believable."

"Not the type you go for?" Volt cut in.

Kraken squinted at him. "What?"

"Let's do it then," Levi said over both of them.

He had seen the light of the end of the tunnel. No matter how much Volt liked to play, he was still a hero. There was no way he would take part in a heist that Kraken and Leviathan pulled. It had to be against some kind of hero rules or something. Their moral code.

Standing up, he stared down at Volt with a smirk, letting his eyes bleed into inky black, his teeth sharpening as his nails stretched out. "Besides, we need to get something under our belts to brag about at VillainCon."

"Fuck yeah," Kraken grinned, standing up as well.

Volt was sitting there, silently appraising Levi. "Good idea," he said finally, not sounding hesitant at all as he stood up.

"Do you have a costume?" Levi replied lightly.

Volt nodded. "I do."

_What._ Levi narrowed his eyes. Just how much did Volt plan for this charade?

"So what should we hit?" Volt said, "Art museum?"

"Fuck no, I'd fall asleep." Kraken huffed. Volt smiled at him.

"Classic, then? Bank?"

"Now we're talking," Kraken replied, "Levi?"

"Fine," Levi said primly, all of the wind having been knocked out of his sails. What the hell was happening? Volt actually looked excited.

Kraken wrapped an arm around Levi's neck suddenly, ruffling his hair with a large hand. "Fine?" he mimicked, "Come on. We haven't done anything for a few days. This will be fun."

"Yes, Levi," Volt said, and Levi caught his amused eyes. "This will be fun."

—

"He was lying again," Volt said idly.

He was crouched on the roof, observing the bank across the street. Levi and he were waiting for the signal from Kraken.

Levi had been busy gawking at Volt's suit. It was pitch black, body-forming, with silver trim and a hood that covered his entire head. It was sleek, and not garish at all. It brought up so _many_ questions. "I thought heroes had no taste."

Volt looked up at him. "What?"

Gesturing at the suit, Levi shook his head. "I don't get it. If you had something like this on hand, why all of the neon spandex?"

"Is that really important?" Volt replied.

"I think so," Levi said, crouching down next to Volt.

Volt stared at him. "Do you even care that your brother is hiding something potentially dangerous from you? Whatever he and Rage were talking about had him very agitated."

"Skim milk has Kraken agitated," Levi replied with a snort, "I'd be more worried if he and Rage were fine and dandy with each other."

Biting his lip, his expression turned more serious. "What I really worry about, Volt, is what your end goal is with this. Fucking Kraken? Capturing him? Once he knows who you are, he'll loathe you even more."

Volt sank down on his ass, crossing his legs, and stretching his neck from side to side. "I'm hoping to get him attached to me enough before that happens—ride out the hurt feelings and all that jazz—and at the end of the day, maybe he'll forgive me and let me in his bed, you know?"

Nearly losing his balance, Levi turned his head to gawk at Volt. "Are you serious?"

"Is there any other way?" Volt replied with a level tone. "At least with this, I have a chance."

Levi couldn't consider that Volt was serious about Kraken. It was too much to fathom. "Would you expect him to give up villainy?"

Volt laughed ruefully at that. "No," he said, sounding a little weary, "I'm not delusional, Leviathan. What I hope for, is every once in awhile, we can meet each other somewhere secret. And have a few moments together."

For a second, Levi considered this, and then he said flatly,"Kraken hates sappy shit."

"Well, I'd expect we'd mostly be fucking," Volt replied, glancing over at Levi with a self-satisfied grin.

Levi had to snort at that. He shook his head. Even if Kraken didn't know who Volt was, he still wouldn't be charmed so easily. Besides, Levi wasn't entirely too sure any man had a chance with Kraken, had never seemed his brother show interest in the male gender. And Volt was male, he was very, _very_ male.

"Anyway," Levi said pointedly, "Are you really going to go through with this?"

"I am," Volt said, keeping his gaze on the bank. "And you can stop doubting it."

"What if someone gets hurt?" He saw Volt's lip curl.

"Leviathan, you and Kraken have wracked up a city budget's worth of property damage, but I have never seen you two hurt a human."

Levi's eyebrows pinched together. "Why would we?"

Volt glanced up at him, and Levi continued, "There's no sport in it."

Volt just laughed at that, which made Levi scowl with annoyance, why was that even funny? But then there was a click in Levi's head, and _Ok, let's do it._

He sent a confirming thought to Kraken, and stood up. "It's time."

Volt rose to his feet, and turned, dipping his shoulder down. "Hop on."

_Ugh._ Rolling his eyes, Levi gripped Volt's shoulders, and felt the roof drop away from his feet. "Flying is such an unfair power," he shouted through the wind.

He felt the vibrations of Volt chuckling. "And turning into a gigantic sea monster isn't?"

Well. Flying was such an unnatural state anyway.

From the air, Levi could see the armored truck rolling down the street, and any second, Kraken would be coming along after it. With a grin, Levi leaned towards Volt's ear. "Are you going to keep your cut?"

"I'll donate it to the pound."

Of course he would. _Heroes._

There were screams, and Levi looked down the street to see Kraken charging after the truck. "There's our quo."

Volt spun, and Levi let go, plummeting to the earth. He landed on the truck with a _thud. …_ There wasn't even a dent.

"Shit," Levi muttered, it was hero metal. This must be how HQ funds it's ridiculous set up, selling its resources to the humans. Levi slammed his fist down to be sure, but only felt his knuckle crack. He swallowed a cry of pain, shivering as his bones knitted back together.

The truck screeched to a stop and then jerked forward from another impact, Kraken smashing into the back. Levi heard a matching "Shit!" to his own, and smiled ruefully.

"What are you two doing?" Volt called, settling down on the street beside them.

"Hero metal," Levi replied derisively, as if this was entirely Volt's fault. It probably was.

The humans inside the truck scrambled out, took one look at who was surrounding them, and sprinted down the street. Levi watched them go with a bored expression, and heard Kraken say, "There's some kinda computer thing."

Jumping off the back, Levi stood next to Kraken. There was a hand scanner panel on the back of the truck, and sighed. "Well, our keys just ran off. I guess we'll have to bring them back."

"No," Volt said from behind them. Levi turned just as Volt shoved past him, and set his hand on the scanner. There was a faint _pop_ and then the scanner fizzled, an audible unlatching click heard from inside the truck.

"I like this guy," Kraken laughed, swinging the truck door open. Inside were several full bags of cash, and just like that, Kraken jumped in to grab them. With a dose of realization, Levi thought, _this is too easy._

He felt the heat before he saw her. Looking up, he caught Firea standing on the roof of the truck, smirking down at him. Through the corner of his eye, he saw something flying to his right.

Triton.

_Kraken!_

The fireball nearly hit Levi, but he scrambled into the truck. Turning around, he saw that Volt had gone in the opposite direction. And then—Volt rose his hand to the sky, his fingertips crackling. "Kraken, Leviathan, get out of the truck."

Before he knew what was happening, Levi felt a solid arm wrap around his waist and drag him out into the street just as a thunderbolt rocked the the truck, sending it flying into the air. Firea had already launched towards the sky, floating next to Triton.

Pushing away from Kraken, Levi stared at Volt. He was so close to screaming, he couldn't be in this fight with Kraken trusting Volt, it was too much. "You—" he started.

Volt knocked him to the side just as Triton crashed towards them, taking the blow. Splayed on the ground, Levi watched with confusion as the fight played out in front of him, Kraken joining in. But there was no time for that.

He got to his feet, swinging around to face Firea.

She slowly drifted to the ground, crossing her arms. "So you're Leviathan."

Scales rippled across his skin, and then sunk back down again. Losing control of the transformation meant he was losing control of himself. He didn't understand what was happening, but he did understand one thing.

Fighting heroes.

He summoned Sea Fang, felt the hilt slide into his palm, and closed his fingers around it. Without answering Firea, he charged forward, blade outstretched ahead of him.

She leaped upwards, flying over him, and then Levi felt burning heat at his back. He rolled out of the way as a fireball hit a car, and exploded.

Turning around with a snarl, he caught the smirk in Firea's eyes as she turned away from him and held her hand up towards—

Kraken. He was distracted, trying to fight Triton.

_Duck!_

Kraken flinched, swerving around, the fireball bursting past him, but he had lost his rhythm, and Levi ran as fast as he could, but he saw the trident arching down towards Kraken's neck, saw… the fear in Volt's eyes, Volt lunging forward, knocking Kraken out of the way as the trident sank deep into Volt's side.

Levi slammed into Triton, all thoughts of Troy and everything that had ever happened completely erased, only the image of Kraken's exposed neck in his mind as he sank his nails into Triton's arm. "You bastard," Levi hissed.

Triton knocked him off with a hard fist, sending Levi crashing backwards.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Firea engaged in battle with Kraken, and then he quickly looked back to Triton, just catching Volt place a hand on his shoulder, and whisper something into his ear.

… _What?_ Levi's eyes narrowed. It was only a flash moment, and then the sky suddenly flashed, and without warning, dozens of thunderbolts started crashing into the concrete.

Firea ran to Triton, and together they launched into the sky. The thunder cleared.

"Levi," Kraken rumbled, standing over him, and holding a hand down. Grabbing it, Levi pulled himself up.

Volt was standing a few yards away from them, almost cautiously.

"You saved me," Kraken said to him.

It wasn't possible to see Volt's eyes, but his slumped shoulders and sad frown as he stood there dejectedly, holding a hand over his slowly healing wound, were certainly something.

… More and more, Levi was starting to wonder what advantage he and his brother could attain from having such a lovesick hero, a hero willing to rob a bank, pining after Kraken. Levi wondered if Kraken could see the value in that…would want to see the value.

Kraken strode to Volt, slapping an arm around his shoulders. "Come on, bro, you just ran off two HQ heroes, we got the cash, and you fucking saved my life!"

Standing straighter, Volt seemed to regain his arrogance with a chuckle. "That I did." Levi saw a hand creep around Kraken's other side, fingers clasping his waist. "Do I get a reward?"

"Eh?" Kraken replied, clueless idiot that he was. Glancing down, he seemed to finally notice the grip at his waist. "Christ," he laughed, "See, Levi, I told you this fucker was after my c—"

Volt ran his fingers through Kraken's brown, messy hair, and jerked his face forward into a rough kiss, Kraken making a "Mmph!" sound as Volt pulled him in tightly by the waist with his other arm.

Watching, mouth in a flat line and eyes hooded, Levi crossed his arms as Kraken _didn't_ pull away, letting Volt slide a hand up his back, arching his muscled chest against Volt as a low, lustful growl escaped his lips.

"Disgusting," Levi muttered, turning away. At the very least, Kraken should have put more of a fight before melting into Volt's arms.

"That's it, quit pawing at me" he heard a flustered Kraken say and turned back around to see Kraken pushing away at Volt's roaming hands. "Fucking-A, you give an inch, jesus," he muttered, stomping past Levi, going back to the truck to grab the cash bags.

Levi considered Volt. "Did you get what you want?"

Touching his lips, Volt grinned, his eyes meeting Levi's. "For now."


	19. Volume 19!

Volume 19!

The customer was irritating.

Perhaps he didn't understand the universal signal for 'leave me the fuck alone', or maybe he had no issue with prattling away at the side of Levi's face, but either way—he would  _not_ stop working his yap.

But that was of no matter.

Levi was gnashing violently on his fingernail, eyes narrowed on the computer screen in front of him. All day he had been roving gossip sites, and seeing things like ' _A Villainous Affair'_ or ' _Kraken Has a Heart?_ ' flashing in breathless excitement over poorly researched articles about the bank heist. And with every article, a picture of "Jupiter" laying one on Kraken was included.

"Well, I bought this e-reader—"

Clearing his throat over the customer's babbling, Levi clicked on the picture, zooming in on his brother. What unlucky fates were cursed upon Levi that he must witness Kraken acting docile in the arms of Vo—

There was the tap of knuckles on his counter. "Excuse me?"

Turning his head, Levi stared at the obnoxious customer. How pleasing it would be to sever his head from his neck. It would certainly solve both their problems. But Levi just curled his lip in a cruel smile, and cocked an eyebrow. When the customer just gawked at him, he sighed and said, "Yes?"

The customer dropped a stack of books on the counter, and then slid an e-reader forward. "I want to put these in here."

Levi's eyes slowly moved down to the clutter now marring his usually sterile customer service counter. "…what?"

"These are my books," the customer said, tapping incessantly on the tattered cover of some book that must have been printed twenty years ago. "I was wondering how I put them in this thing…"

"You can't," Levi replied simply, turning back to his computer.

When he felt the presence of the human still looming there, he sighed again and looked up at him. "You cannot," he repeated.

"But I bought these books…" the customer said.

"I don't care," Levi replied, shaking his head.

The customer's face reddened, and he opened his mouth to start spluttering some drivel when there was a sharp, fake cheerful laugh from behind Levi. "Sir," Levi's manager said, "I'll help you with that in a moment."—a claw-like hand landed on Levi's shoulder—"Levi? Why. Don't. You. Go. Shelve?"

Letting out a breath of exasperation, Levi stood up and slipped past the manager, long-legged strides to the escalator.

This was beneath him, these humans were ants, his manager was an ant, and he was slowly being driven insane by their constant droning about with no purpose, no reason. He could feel it in his chest, how he wanted to destroy this place, this  _bookstore_  with the idiots who never pay for anything and just muck about with their lattes reading the books and bending pages, and somehow not understanding that the fiction section is organized by author.

The fools.

Levi stood in front of the needing-to-be-shelved cart.

He could feel his teeth sharpening.

Closing his eyes, he drew in a long breath.

Why was his tolerance so low today?

Because he was trapped. Because Volt was playing his games. Because Volt was living with them in their duplex, ' _crashing on the couch_ ' he had said, whatever that meant, because Volt was taking Kraken to football games and drinking beer with him and wearing Hawaiian shirts with him, and sometimes—just occasionally—sliding a hand down his arm. Touching him.

Levi picked up a book, and stared blankly at the cover.

He and Volt were both fools. Kraken would never forgive either one of them, and Levi was just letting it happen.

What would happen if Volt successfully seduced Kraken, got him into bed. That kind of thing… Kraken would—

Licking his lips, Levi set down the book. He had no idea what to do. There was also VillainCon, and if Volt was still hanging around them, he would inevitably find out when and where it is, and he would tell all of his simpering hero friends, and then Levi would be the one who caused the downfall of every villain  _ever._

As entertaining as that seemed, Levi figured it was not a reputation he should be striving for.

A shrill giggled broke him of his thoughts. Looking over his shoulder, he caught Troy standing in the self-help section, hand resting on the top of the shelf, and leaning over one of the female employees. They were speaking to each other and smiling and laughing.

Levi snarled.

Walking to them, he shoved an errant book back into place, and glared at the girl. "Leave."

"Excuse me?" she replied.

He smiled coldly. "I don't  _really_  have to repeat myself, do I?"

She gawked at him, and then looked to Troy. But Troy was also looking at him, and Levi didn't miss the way he was appraising Levi with a small frown. With a sniff, the girl pushed past them, and quickly left.

Troy was still watching Levi, who matched his gaze steadily.

"She's a nice girl, you know," Troy said.

Shrugging, Levi crossed his arms.

"Were you jealous?" Troy continued, sounding a little irritated.

Levi exhaled through his nose, quelling the urge to roll his eyes. "What would I be jealous about? You can't do anything with her."

The look the passed over Troy's face quickly passed from irritation to frustration, he eyebrows pinching together. "Whatever," he muttered, shoving past Levi—rough enough that Levi slammed into the bookshelf.

But before Troy could get far enough, Levi caught his wrist. "Troy," he said calmly, "I'm sorry."

That may have been the first time Levi apologized for anything, sincerely or otherwise. He wondered if it was something that required practice. Troy seemed to buy it, however, turning around to stare at Levi in shock. "About what?"

Levi paused for a moment, his lips thinning. He should have planned this out a little before throwing out apologies willy-nilly as if he knew how to use them. "For," he said, swallowing, "acting—like." Exhaling, he closed his eyes. "For playing hot and cold with you, Troy. I should have been more clear about my feelings."

"What are your feelings?" Troy replied.

Levi smiled at this. This was more comfortable ground. Stretching up, he circled an arm around Troy's neck, and grinned wickedly. "Why don't we find somewhere private, and I'll show you?"

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' ''

Wiping his lips with the back of his hand, Levi then reached forward and zipped Troy's fly. With a grunt, he got up from his knees, and slid onto Troy's lap, straddling him as he gripped his shoulders. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

Troy's cheeks flushed, as he stared dreamy-eyed up at Levi.

Levi was growing fond of what apologies could do to men. After leading Troy to the bathroom, and shoving him down on the toilet, Levi had bent forward to gently kiss Troy's cheek, murmuring how sorry he was. Troy had gone loose from it, his expression slack. So pliant, so docile.

Levi kissed Troy's neck. "I was horrible to you."

"No," Troy croaked out, running his hand over Levi's black hair. "You were scared."

Levi did roll his eyes that time. But then he kissed Troy's neck again. "Yes, I was scared."

He felt hands clasp his waist, fingers fanning out at the small of his back. "It's alright, Levi. I promise I'll take care of you. We'll figure out your powers together."

Pulling away, Levi looked him in the eyes. "Do I have to go back to that place?"

"To HQ?" Troy replied, his eyebrows furrowing. "It would be…better to do that—"

Levi pouted.

Troy's eyes widened. " _But,_ you don't have to. We'll figure something out. I'll talk to Volt."

Nodding mutely, Levi dropped his gaze. "…Has Volt said anything about me?"

Troy petted Levi's back in reassurance. "He hasn't been around really, he's working on something."

Glancing up at that, Levi tilted his head, as innocent as a baby deer. "Working on something?"

"Yeah," Troy replied, grinning, "actually, it's pretty cool. He's like…going undercover right now. We're trying to figure out when VillainCon is, and he's infiltrated this villain duo…"

Leaning forward quickly, Levi buried his scowl against Troy's neck. So. That really was Volt's plan. And Troy knew about it, all of HQ knew about it. One false move—Troy coming to check on how Volt was doing, and he would find out just who Leviathan was.

_Volt._ That idiot. He had finally lost it. There was no coming back from this, and there were so many risks. It really was a last-ditch attempt at winning Kraken over, which was impossible, so Volt truly was delusional. He was going to drag all of them down with him.

"You ok?" Troy murmured.

"No," Levi replied dryly. He straightened his spine, staring down at Troy. "Is there anything you wouldn't forgive me for?"

Troy blinked, obviously thrown by Levi's question. "Uh," he replied stupidly, "I don't know…"

"There must be something."

Drawing in a breath, running his hand through his hair, Troy glanced to the side. "I don't know. Does that make me a sucker?"

"You've always been a sucker," Levi replied, almost amused at the affection in his own voice.

Troy nodded at that, laughing self-deprecatingly, dropping his head back against the tiles of the bathroom wall. Levi took the opportunity to slide his palms up Troy's chest, enjoying the ripple of muscles under his employee shirt. "What I'm asking, Troy," he said, "is if I turn out to be something different than what you think I am…"

He closed his mouth. This was too dangerous. He was desperate to squash the threat Volt posed, but this wouldn't work at all.

"Something different?" Troy prompted.

Levi closed his eyes, and smiled a small smile. Slowly, he started rolling his hips, grinding his front against Troy. Bowing his head, he pressed his lips against Troy's ear. "I'm a selfish person, Troy."

"I knew that already," Troy replied, his voice a little ragged. His hands, Levi noted, had drifted down to palm Levi's ass.

Levi had half a mind to tell Troy the truth right then, and maybe—hopefully—get a pretty rough fuck out of it. But he had the feeling Troy's mind didn't work that way.

"You don't trust me, do you?" Levi said, tugging Troy's shirt up so he could get a good look at that thick chest.

Troy, the poor thing, seemed to be having trouble keeping up. "With what?"

"I don't know—" Levi said idly, curling over so he could run his tongue over Troy's nipple, biting it. He heard a quick intake of breath. "Anything. Your heart."

"You're trying to piss me off again," Troy said, running his fingers through Levi's hair.

Levi kept from chuckling. Curling his fingers under the hem of his shirt, he pulled it over his head, and then rested back on his ass, his chest bare, and his wrists tangled in his shirt. He looked down at Troy with a hesitant expression. "Troy," he said weakly, "Just—I want you to know, I really do care about you."

"I believe you," Troy said, reaching up to wrap his arms around Levi, pulling him in. "I believe you, Levi."

Levi sighed a relieved sigh. "Thank you," he said oh-so gently, smirking over Troy's shoulder.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' ''''

Levi kicked his front door closed with his foot, sifting through the mail as he walked into the living room.

"Hello."

He paused, envelopes crinkling in his hands. Looking up, he saw Rage sitting idly on Levi's couch, arms spread out on the back, and watching Levi with a small grin. He was wearing one of his usual business suits, a stark contrast to the rundown state of Levi's home.

"What are you doing here?" Levi said, careful to remain still. He didn't want to look wary, but he knew that was impossible.

Rage tilted his head, his eyes narrowing with delight. "I came to see your brother, but it seems he's out."

"He's made a new friend," Levi replied flatly, dropping the mail on the tv, and then going to stand in front of Rage, crossing his arms.

Rage just kept smiling. "That Jupiter fellow?"

Ignoring that, Levi glanced around. "So you just broke in?"

"Why not?" Rage replied, chuckling a bit. "You expect me to just loiter on the stoop?"

Levi looked back at him. "I don't have any expectations of you."

Some of the amusement drained from Rage's face, his smile hardening. "Although I needed to speak with Kraken," he said, "I suppose there's some things we need to go over as well."

"Such as?" Levi replied.

Rage stood up and walked to Levi. With an absurd expression of warmth, he reached forward and clasped Levi's biceps. "I plan to announce our partnership—and engagement—at VillainCon."

For a moment, all Levi could do was stare. His mouth had run dry, his skin crawling where Rage was touching him. With a curled lip, he managed to say, "so, you're still deluding yourself with that psychotic idea," with as much derision as he could muster.

"Perhaps psychotic," Rage replied, drawing Levi closer to him, "but… deluding myself? Kraken has found a new partner, Levi. Would it be so bad to leave him, and join me?"

"I don't want you," Levi breathed, ignoring Rage's jibe about Kraken and Volt.

Rage let go of him, and stepped away with his palms raised. "For now, sure. I know you aren't too fond of me at the moment, but I think when the truth comes out—"

"The truth?" Levi snapped.

Rage's eyes were flashing with arrogance at some secret, something he was keeping back from Levi. "Does this have to do with you meeting Kraken?" Levi asked, taking an aggressive step towards Rage.

But then he heard the front door opening, and Kraken's  _stupid_ , booming laugh, and he pulled back, going to stand at the other side of the room with his arms crossed. When Kraken and Volt appeared, they both came to a dead stop, staring at Rage.

He smiled at them. "You two seem close."

"Rage," Kraken said. Levi glanced at him, unnerved by the faint trace of panic in his voice.

"It's nice," Rage continued, "branching out, meeting new people. You and Levi were spending too much time together anyway."

"Shut up," Levi spat. Both Kraken and Volt looked over at him, apparently just noticing he was in the room. They were wearing garish team jerseys and backwards hats and looked ridiculous, and suddenly Levi was overwhelmed.

He turned the full fury of his gaze on Rage. "This has  _nothing_ to do you with," he said, his voice deathly quiet as he took a step towards Rage, who actually backed up a step in turn. "You are not involved with my family, you are not involved with me. Go find one of your vapid pretty boys to be your sidekick."

There was a low cough. It was Volt.

He stepped in between Rage and Levi, and dropped a friendly hand on Rage's shoulder. "Now, Levi," he said warmly, "Rage here is just having a little trouble communicating. It isn't something to get snippy about."

"Excuse me?" Rage replied, shoving away Volt's hand with disgust.

"You like Levi," Volt said understandingly, giving Rage a little shake of his head. "Just tell him that. There's no need for theatrics."

"You're one to talk," Levi muttered.

Volt shot him a wry look. "In any event, I suppose this calls for an intervention."

With that, he grabbed Rage by the arm, and shoved him down on the couch before Rage had time to react. Next, he latched on to Levi, who found himself treated in a similar fashion. Finally, Volt settled down on the Lay-Z-Boy, and gestured for Kraken. "Come here, darling."

Levi scowled as he heard Rage snort.

Kraken, meanwhile, was looking dubiously at Volt. "But you're on my chair…"

"Yes," Volt said lightly, waving for him again.

"But…" Kraken repeated. Levi watched as he tried to piece together that particular puzzle. "You're sitting there already."

Tapping his finger on the armrest of the couch, Levi sighed. "Brother, he wants you to sit on his lap."

"On his lap?" Kraken repeated, jerking his head towards Volt.

Levi nodded.

"No," Kraken replied, "Nope."

"Well, it was worth a shot," Volt sighed. Turning his attention back to Levi and Rage, he crossed his legs and leaning back in the chair. "Why don't we try for some rational discussion?"

Levi narrowed his eyes. "Rational would be the two of you finally getting the message, and leaving me and Kraken alone."

"Well, that's not going to happen," Volt replied cheerily.

"Aren't we being rational?" Levi said, cocking an eyebrow. "Wouldn't the rational thing be to just directly ask my brother if he would ever be willing to go to bed with you?"

"Levi."

All of Volt's friendliness was gone. The one word was said in cold warning.

Levi's lip curled, and he sat forward, touching the fingertips of his hands together. "I'm quite serious,  _Jupiter,_ doesn't my brother deserve honesty?"

"Do you really want to speak about honesty?" Volt replied.

Losing some of his confidence, Levi's expression twisted. "You won't get what you want."

The smile that spread on Volt's face was anything but heroic. The calculating gaze in his eyes made Levi want to snarl in retaliation.

But then Kraken spoke up. "Does this little pow-wow have a point? I need to go take a shit."

"Gods," Rage muttered. He stood up, the couch creaking, and looked down at Levi. "This is a clown show, Leviathan. I  _know_ you want credibility, and notoriety, all of which I can give to you—no, all of which we can  _take_ , together."

Levi matched his gaze. But it wasn't like he could argue.

With that, Rage sniffed, glanced around at Volt and Kraken, and then strode out of the house, the door clicking shut behind him.

Levi stared off blankly for a moment. And then he stood up as well. "I need to speak with you," he said to Volt.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

They sat in the duplex's backyard. Volt had a beer, and with his other hand, he ran a palm over the top to the hot tub sitting on the deck. "Did we pick out a good one?"

Levi just stared at him. Volt looked up. "We had a good laugh at your expense, you know. All of HQ. Laughed at the villains who tried to steal a hot tub, and failed."

"Yes," Levi replied, "I know how amusing Kraken and I are."

Volt just exhaled a breath at that, and took a sip from his beer.

"Why are you doing this?" Levi said.

Volt dropped his hand, resting the bottle on top of the hot tub. "You know why I'm doing this, Levi. I'm in love with your brother. I've been spoiling him for decades, letting him get away with things we'd catch other villains for, and I'm tired of not getting anything in return."

"You  _do_  go easy on us," Levi breathed.

Volt hummed. "Don't let that puncture your ego, Leviathan. We never held back punches."

Surprisingly enough, his words did make Levi feel better. "But Triton and the rest think you're tagging along with us to get the time and place for VillainCon."

Volt looked at him from the corner of his eye. "Got."

Levi felt a cold wash over him. "Kraken already told you?"

Turning fully, leaning back against the hot tub, Volt crossed his arms. "Here's how this is going to play out, Leviathan: HQ is going to show up at VillainCon, and we're going to capture as many villains as we can. This is the direct hit we've been waiting for."

"You—" Levi snapped.

Volt held up his palm. "And you and Kraken will not be taken in. I will make sure of that. But you both have to attend to keep suspicion from being raised with your lovely friends."

"You expect me to betray everyone like that?" Levi asked.

Volt smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I don't see the problem," he said, "it seems very villainous to me to get rid of the competition, you know? This will leave Capitalia wide open for you and Kraken to play around in."

Levi's lips parted, his fingers pushing into his palms. "If anyone finds out how— _Volt_ , they'll kill us both."

"They won't find out," Volt replied simply.

Considering him, Levi paused.

To put it plainly, he would not feel an ounce of remorse if a bunch of villains were caught by HQ. They had never respected Levi, had always treated him badly…if anything he would be pleased. And Volt was correct.

There were no rules in villainy.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' '''''''''

Levi stood in Kraken's room, biting his thumbnail.

Kraken was sitting on his bed, trying to pull the boot of his costume on. "Stop worrying," he grunted, "there's always next year to make a splash, yeah?"

"That's not—" Levi snapped, and then closed his eyes.

"We did good enough," Kraken continued, oblivious to Levi's mood, "Got a few banks. I'm just saying, we won't be the worst there."

"Your optimism is admirable," Levi replied sedately.

"Eh?" Kraken dropped his foot on the ground, clasped his knees and looked up at Levi. "What's wrong with you?"

Levi stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"You only start talking like a condescendin' asshole when you think we're in a jam," He chuckled. "Or when you're pissed off."

Pulling at the hem of his leather sleeve, Levi cleared his throat. "It's fine. I'm… fine."

Kraken cocked an eyebrow at that, and stood up. He grabbed Levi's shoulders, and looked him in the eyes. "Come on, Leviathan, you're being a stick in the mud, you know? Just tell me what's going on."

"Where's Jupiter?" Levi asked, avoiding Kraken's gaze.

"He told me he would meet us there," Kraken replied. With that, he patted Levi on the shoulder, and turned to grab his mask from the dresser, slipping it over his head. "Ready?"

Levi nodded. He felt sick. He watched his brother head for the door, and—

"Kraken."

Kraken stopped, resting his arm up on the doorframe as he turned to shoot a questioning glance at Levi.

It suddenly, and with great clarity, hit Levi how big of a mistake he had made, right from the beginning. Licking his lips, he held his gaze steady, looking Kraken straight in the eyes. "It's Volt, Kraken."

Kraken dropped his arm, turning fully, his expression suddenly serious. "What's Volt?"

"Jupiter," Levi replied, his voice shaking. "He's Volt. And he knows about VillainCon, he knows where it is, and when it is. He knows who we are, Kraken." Swallowing, Levi finally cracked, and looked down at the ground. "…And it's all my fault."

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(a/n) hey guys, im holding a giveaway contest for a free digital copy of 'Stalker', the details are in my profile :D

Anywho, thanks for reading! I'll try not to take so long next time. Also, I got some new fanart of leviathan! the link is in my profile, and it's so cute.


	20. Volume 20!

Volume 20!

Levi was ready when Kraken surged forward. He caught his brother by the shoulders and used all of his strength to shove him back down on the bed, heard the floorboards crack. "Kraken," Levi hissed, "let's think about this. Just give it—a moment."

A low growl emanated from Kraken, and Levi took that as his cue to back up. Glaring, Kraken had his fingers clawed into the mattress. "Leviathan," he said slowly, clearly trying to contain his rage, "Everything. Explain  _everything_."

"Volt is going to bring all of HQ to VillainCon," Levi replied. He licked his lips, and looked down at his feet. "He said that he would lock them all up and leave Capitalia to us."

Hearing Kraken's disbelieving scoff, Levi glanced back up. Kraken's jaw was set. "And people call me the stupid brother."

Levi flushed red at that, his lips parting. He waved around, trying to find the words. "It could work, Kraken! It could—"

Kraken stood, holding his palm up which effectively silenced Levi. "We have to warn everyone."

This time, it was Levi who growled. "You've got to be kidding. Those assholes? We don't owe them anything."

He watched with surprise as Kraken completely ignored him and strode out of the room. Levi quickly followed, jogging to keep up with his his lip, he watched Kraken's broad back as they went into the kitchen. Kraken didn't acknowledge him, stopping at the table. Suddenly, he gripped the edge, his knuckles going white. The wood bowed. " _Fuck_. Leviathan." He exhaled, shaking his head.

Going to him, Levi stood at the other side of the table. "We'll salvage this, Kraken."

Kraken let out a sharp laugh. "Oh, no. Not you, Levi. You're staying home."

"What?" Levi snapped, but before he could get another word out, the table that had been sitting between them was suddenly flung to the left, crashing against the wall. In the next moment, Kraken was in his space, shoving him up against the wall, elbow to his neck. Levi gasped for breath, eyes wide as he looked into his brother's furious gaze.

"You. Are. Staying. Home." Kraken dug his elbow in to accentuated each point, and Levi gasped, clawing plaintively at his brother's wrists. He could see the slow inky tide of black overtaking Kraken's eyes, his skin turning green.

"Don't shift here," Levi begged with a strained voice. "Please Kraken, calm down. We're no where near the ocean."

He watched as Kraken gulped and panted. "Say it, then."

"I'll stay here."

Nodding, Kraken released his hold and backed away. "I won't be long."

A spike of fear hit Levi's chest, and he grabbed Kraken's arm. "If you tell them, they'll know it was you who told Volt about the time and location."

Silently, Kraken stared back at him. "Well, if that happens…" Sighing, he rubbed the back of his neck. "I did tell him, Levi. Even if he wasn't Volt, I still should have checked into his background before saying anything."

Oh,  _fuck._ Now Kraken was going to blame this on himself. Levi did not do well with martyrs acting on his behalf. "Let me come—" he started to say, Kraken shot him a dark look like he was planning on plastering Levi to the wall again, so Levi held his hands up. "Or stay here with me, Kraken."

Instead of replying, Kraken just shook his head and pulled his mask from his belt.

"I'm sorry about Volt," Levi said softly.

Kraken put the mask on, which hid his expression—if it had changed at all. "I don't have time to think about that fucker right now Levi, but if he knew any better right now, he'd be shaking in his goddamn boots for making a fool out of me."

His voice was gruffer than usual. Almost like he was suffering hurt feelings. Levi felt even worse. Kraken was a big baby when it came to feelings. "You kind of liked Jupiter, didn't you?"

Turning from Levi, Kraken said, "Ain't got time for this, little brother." With that, he left through the back door, disappearing into the dark.

Levi waited for about five minutes. And then he went to get ready.

o-o-o-o

This wasn't a smart plan. Maybe it also wasn't a dumb plan. It was a plan.

It was a course of action, which Levi felt moderately apathetic about, but he had some expectation that it could successfully solve some of his problems. Or it would spawn new ones, but he was already used to that, so—he wasn't worried.

He crouched on top of the roof of the bookstore. He had missed his shift that evening, a shift he had promised Troy he would go to. At the strike of the hour, he watched as Troy left the building through the back alley, phone to his ear. Levi didn't pause-he stepped over the ledge and plummeted to the ground, but landed softly. Ahead of him, Troy walked slowly, cursing and staring at the screen of his phone before tapping the call button again.

Levi's lip curled with amusement, feeling his phone buzz in his pocket. He followed, keeping to the shadows and out of the light of the lamp hanging over the alley.

Even though he was confident in what he was doing, he was hesitant to cross that final line. In fact, as Troy neared the street, Levi thought about how he still had a chance to turn back. But there wasn't an alternative, as far as he could see.

"Triton."

Troy froze, his shoulders going rigid. He turned, looking over his shoulder. Levi saw his gaze flicker with recognition. "Leviathan…"

He closed the distance between them some, but kept away by a few wary paces. Levi opened his mouth, ready to give a whole speech. "Look," Troy said over him, "I was meaning to find a way to contact you, about the kiss and everything."

Levi's eyebrows rose. "...What?"

Troy held up his hand. "See, I'm with this guy now who I really like, so we can't keep having those kinds of run-ins, you know? Not that it wasn't hot, or anything, but this guy—"

"Triton." Levi's hands curled into fists. He clenched his teeth.

"And, well, he's new to the whole superpowers thing, so I want to be there for him." Troy chuckled, and rubbed the back of his neck. "Not that we've promised to be monogamous or anything—" His smile faltered at that "-but I think he'll come around, so I don't want to be messing with other people, you know?"

" _Troy._ "

Troy's jaw snapped shut.

Levi stalked towards him, and saw how he hunched a little into his fighting stance, but Levi just scoffed and stopped a half a foot away. Without saying anything, Levi reached up, and pulled his mask away.

And watched as the blood drained from Troy's face.

Levi moved with one fluid movement, pressing himself up against Troy's broad chest, making himself small and clutching the front of Troy's shirt with his hands. "I'm so sorry," he said with begging voice.

He wait for one taut moment, air gone from his lungs. He pictured Troy ripping away from him, shoving a fist into his gut, knocking him over. He imagined Troy taking off into the air, headed for HQ so that he could bring an entire army down on Leviathan. In that moment, Leviathan felt fear.

But then, he felt a tentative hand press against the small of his back.

He looked up with wide eyes and pouting lips. "It got so out of control, Troy-when I met you in the bookstore, and figured out who you were. I didn't know what to do, and I—"

With his other hand, Troy cupped a gentling palm against Levi's cheek. Levi had to admit, he was getting better at the calm, heroic mug. There was a light in his eyes, bright and full of what Levi could only label as  _responsibility._ He was looking down at Levi like he was responsible for him.

Levi quelled the eye-roll.

"It's ok," Troy rumbled. His face was flushed. Levi suspiciously detected a bit of arousal in all of that heroic responsibility. He also took note of how tightly Troy was holding him now.

"Leviathan," Troy said, like he testing it out. His hand slowly rubbed down Levi's back. "You're Leviathan."

Levi was now close to wanting to run away. He had expected anger. He had expected Troy to reel away from him, betrayal etched on his face. Not…  _this._ Levi couldn't even put a word to it. It was like Troy was pleased. Which did not make sense at all. But Levi couldn't worry about that. Hell, this would just work more in his favor.

"Yes, I am," he said. "And I'm worried about my brother, Triton."

Troy looked confused for a moment, and then he replied, "Kraken."

Levi nodded.

"He's going to be at VillainCon."

"Volt promised that he wouldn't capture Kraken tonight, but I'm still worried the other villains will want a more violent revenge than Kraken anticipates," Levi replied. "If they ever come after him…"

Eyebrows furrowing, Troy caressed Levi's side. "They won't escape HQ."

"But if they  _did._ "

"You want me to get HQ to call off the raid," Troy replied.

Levi waited. Troy looked down, at Levi's chest. He fingered the collar of Levi's leather coat. "I always thought you looked really sexy in this thing. Made me want to fuck you in it."

Despite everything, Levi felt a shiver run up his spine. Those words had been said with an edge, and maybe Troy wasn't as fine as he was pretending to be. Not that Levi minded, if the dark promise behind those words might come to be. Licking his lips, Levi pushed that thought aside. "Troy," he pleaded, "this is my brother."

Troy drew in a long breath, and frowned. He stared at Levi with an appraising gaze. Finally, he said, "And what would I get in return?"

This was a little closer to what Levi had been expecting. "Anything," he said immediately.

"Quit being a villain."

Also expected. "Of course," Levi said with a sweet voice. If anything, villains are always happy to lie.

At that, Troy smiled wryly. Levi was a little taken aback when he then bowed his head to press his lips against Levi's, and then even more so when he confidently forced entry with his tongue, gripping the back of Levi's head to keep him steady as Troy did what he wanted. He bit Levi's lip as he pulled away, and then locked gazes with Levi. "You'll have to come live in HQ for awhile, so that they know you're serious."

Levi nodded. But he couldn't dispel the sense that this was happening too smoothly. He knew he didn't have time to be questioning that, but it was troubling. "You're taking this better than I thought you would."

"Yeah," Troy replied with a smile. "Me too."

"I thought you would be more surprised."

"Well, I guess I should be. But now that I know, everything makes a lot more sense." Troy grinned wolfishly. "Like the attitude you gave me when we met."

Levi was lost there for a moment, in that clear blue gaze. There was a knowing amusement there that made him apprehensive, but his focus was broken when he felt his phone buzz.

He pulled it out, and stared at the screen as Troy said, "so you were ignoring my calls, huh?"

It was Rage. Levi gripped the phone, a snarl curling on his lips. He stepped away from Troy, and brought the phone to his ear. "What?"

"Since when do you and your lovely brother arrive separately to a party?" Rage's languid voice did nothing but make Levi want to hurl his phone at the brick wall of the alley.

"I don't have time for this."

"Wait, Leviathan."

Finger hovering over the  _end call_ button, Levi then chose to bring it back to his ear.

"You should know, the party has moved locations."

Ice washed over Levi. Had he taken too long? He waited, heart thundering, for Rage to continue.

"Not easy to do with so many villains, but we figured it out. Anyway, the main event has also changed. Seems we have a traitor to eviscerate."

He said it with such glee. Levi wanted to rip his throat out. "Don't let them touch him, Rage."

"Well, that depends on you, Levi. Don't get me wrong, I love a good cat and mouse game, but only for so long. And only if I know that I get the mouse in the end. I was  _hoping_ you would be my date."

Working his jaw, Levi looked down at the ground. "...that can still happen."

"Can it?"

"Where are you?"

There was a low chuckle. "I'll text you the coordinates."

Levi bit his lip and hung up. When the text came, he quickly scanned it and then shoved the phone back into his pocket.

So there was a wrench in his plan. He hadn't expected the villains to rally so quickly and change locations, or even if they did… were they able to do it without HQ noticing?

Levi turned back to Troy. "Is HQ watching the villains right now?"

Troy cocked his head, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jacket. "Leviathan…"

"It doesn't matter." He was already walking away, putting his mask on and bouncing into a full out sprint. Nothing would matter, not HQ, not getting away, not if the villains hurt Kraken before Levi could do anything about it. He could only hope that Rage kept them at bay.

He heard Troy keeping pace with him. "What are you doing, Levi?"

"Kraken is in trouble." He turned his head to look at Troy. "Please do this for me, Troy. Please make sure HQ doesn't come for the villains."

Troy stared back, and the after a moment, he nodded. Levi watched as he suddenly lifted from the ground, and headed up into the sky. With him gone, Levi could focus on running as fast as he could to the desert surrounding Capitalia.

o-o-o-o

It was a gigantic, abandoned airplane hanger, lit up bright from the inside. There was nothing but darkness and sand surrounding it.

Levi's body was actually aching by the time he reached it. He had never run so hard and so fast in his life. But when he saw the hanger rising up in the distance, he slowed down to catch his breath and gather himself, wondering what he was going to find on the inside. If Kraken was dead or tortured in there.

He could hear the party, and thankfully no screams. Just loud obnoxious boasting and cackling like there always was with VillainCon. Closing in slowly, he was aware of the robotic sentinels standing guard in the sand. They scanned him, but didn't raise any alarm.

At the large front entrance, there were a couple of villains standing in a circle, drinks in their hands. They looked up when Leviathan approached out of the darkness.

"Well, well, well," one said. There was no hint of danger in his voice.

Levi smirked, hiding his fear. "Icepick."

The man who had spoken raised his drink. "I was wondering if you were coming, Leviathan," he said, then moving to take a sip.

Still unsure what to make of the situation, Levi looked past him. "...my brother?"

Before Icepick could respond, a heavy hand clapped down on Levi's shoulder. He jerked around to find Rage standing there in the costume he wore at these events, when he couldn't walk around as a giant lizard monster. It consisted of an expensive tuxedo and a simple white eye mask. Rage smiled smugly at Levi, his eyes narrowing with amusement behind the mask.

"Kraken is chumming it up with some old buddies, Levi. Why don't you spend some time with me?"

Levi's lips parted. "You lied to me?" he hissed.

The hand on his shoulder clenched warningly, and then Rage was herding him deeper into the crowd. As they walked, that hand moved down until Rage was holding Levi around his waist. He leaned over to speak in Levi's ear. "Yes, are you surprised? I'm surprised your brother was able to pass off that ridiculous lie about HQ hacking our communications."

Levi's eyebrows pinched. Kraken hadn't told the truth? ...The villains believed something  _Kraken_ made up? But then… "How did you know he was lying?"

Laughing softly, Rage nuzzled against Levi's temple. "As shocking as it is, your brother confides in me."

 _Well,_ there was a lie Levi would never fall for. Kraken hated Rage. Levi struggled against Rage's hold, trying to scan the crowd for his brother.  _'Kraken?'_

He felt a ripple of anger.  _'Kraken,'_ he said,  _'I'm here, so get over it. I revealed myself to Triton, he's promised to stop HQ from invading'_

There was a pause, and then:  _'Are you sure?'_

_'Yes! Where are you?'_

_'Here.'_

Levi looked up and saw his brother through the crowd. Kraken stood there, eyes narrowed at him.

Smiling with relief, uncaring that Kraken probably wanted to throttle him, Levi tried to jump forward, only to be jerked back. "Not so fast, little Leviathan."

He spun around at Rage. "You're pathetic. You understand that, right?"

Crossing his arms, Rage only looked mildly put upon. "Pathetic? I suppose it could be called that." His lip curled. "But I can't stand to lose, Leviathan. And I'm a villain, so I don't really care about being a good sport and all that." He reached out, pressed his palm flat against Levi's chest, and then slid his hand up to grip Levi's shoulder. "Was me having other partners really the only reason you ran away?"

Levi brushed his hand off. "You understand possessiveness, Rage. You feel it and want to bind me by it. Well so would I."

Rage closed the distance between them. "So, if I promised fidelity?"

For a moment, Levi was actually impressed. He never imagined Rage would bow on that front. He was too fond of catching new partners. But Levi's feelings for him had never burned brighter than temporary lust, and it was too late to build that to anything more. "No, Rage," he said. "Not even then."

Rage's expression hardened, but then he looked past Levi's shoulder, and his lip curled into a cruel smirk. "Kraken, why don't you tell Levi how it would be to his advantage to marry me?"

Stepping up next to Levi, Kraken looked pissed as hell. "We're going."

Levi nodded, but then Rage caught his arm again. "Kraken. We talked about this."

Immediately, Levi realized there was something he was missing. He looked between Kraken and Rage, trying to gauge was their tense expressions meant.  _'What's going on?'_

_'Nothing you need to worry about.'_

Levi thought back to when he and Volt had caught Kraken meeting with Rage.  _'You're hiding something from me, Kraken.'_

Rage chuckled, breaking Levi's concentration. "Enough of that," he said, "I want this all out in the open. Kraken, I want you to tell your brother that it's best to be with me. Now."

At Rage's confident tone, Levi jerked his head back. There was no way Kraken was going to follow and idiotic order like that. He was more likely to launch at Rage, which Levi wouldn't be too thrilled about either.

But that didn't happen. Kraken was standing there, glaring at Rage, his hands clenched into fists. Worried, Levi took his arm and started to pull him towards the exit. If Rage was causing him this much anguish, than Levi would have to find a more permanent solution for ending things. He wouldn't mind sparing with Rage in their monster forms.

As he and Kraken made their way back to the hangar door, he could hear whispering among the other villains. Well, more like quiet jeering. He was used to it. He had wanted their respect, but now he just wanted to get Kraken and he out of there. The crowd parted easily enough.

But Rage followed them, swung around to block their path. His eyes were blazing. "If only you knew, little Leviathan. If only you knew what I knew. Then you wouldn't cherish your brother like that. You would certainly come to me."

"Shut the fuck up," Kraken said, knocking Levi's hand away so he could take a threatening step towards Rage.

Rage smirked. His gaze moved to Levi. "I'm not the one you should be looking at with such loathing, darling."

Levi could have easily dismissed him. He could have written this off as another weak attempt by Rage to drive a wedge between he and Kraken. Levi could have walked away. If it weren't for the way Kraken was standing there, face red, teeth clenched, and clearly hiding something.

But he didn't get to ask what. Through the crowd, he heard someone shout, "Kraken, Leviathan!"

People shifted out of the way, and then Levi felt his stomach drop. Pushing through, wearing his fake villain outfit, was Volt. He was grinning as he walked up to them, and dropped a friendly hand down on Kraken's shoulder. Kraken, frozen for only a moment, tried to step back, but Levi saw the way Volt tightened his grip.

"Well," he said breathlessly, "I have to say, I don't know what I was expecting."

Levi narrowed his eyes. Had Troy been able to stop HQ? Was this the precursor to hundreds of heroes crashing down into the hangar? But if Volt was going to insist on carrying out this farce… Levi figured it was best to play along. "And what were you expecting?"

Glancing around, Volt shrugged. "Excessive spending," he said finally, laughing. "I thought you guys would be trying to one up each other, really put on a show. Not just standing around drinking beer and talking about that one great heist before their careers went downhill."

" _You guys_?" Rage cut in, his voice dry.

"Oh, are you still here?" Before Rage could splutter a response, Volt turned his head to Kraken.

Maybe Volt really was an idiot who couldn't read the signs, or maybe he was choosing to ignore them. But Kraken could not have looked any less open to affectionate touches if he was a hissing cat. And yet, Volt still sidled up to him, touched his shoulder, touched the small of his back. Leaned in to say, "I only wish there was dancing at this shindig."

Levi couldn't stop it. Kraken's eyes had widened and he snarled as he shoved Volt away.

The someone rueful smile on Volt's face as he stumbled back told Levi everything. He knew that Kraken had found out. And he looked sad. But that expression passed in the blink of an eye, and he was laughing. "Alright, alright," he said holding his palms up. "No dancing."

Rage snorted. "So, you're after Kraken." He looked Volt up and down slowly. "Well, good luck on that, anyway."

Volt shot a smile back and then turned to Kraken again. "Well at least journey down the buffet table with me?" He had said this pointedly, holding his hand out for Kraken.

 _'Just go'_ Levi said to Kraken,  _'It could be important.'_

Kraken set his jaw. Levi couldn't imagine what he was feeling at that moment. Volt was Kraken's arch enemy, had been for decades. To have had Volt pretend to be someone else, to earn Kraken's trust and come into his home-and Levi didn't even know what they had done when he wasn't around-well, like Volt had said. It had been a gamble to do that to Kraken, and Levi doubted it had paid off.

But Kraken stepped forward. He avoided Volt's hand, brushing past him, but he did head over to the long buffet table at one side of the hangar. Levi watched them. Volt was saying something to Kraken, who looked ready to commit mass genocide.

"It's not surprising," he heard Rage say.

Crossing his arms, Levi looked at him. "And what does that mean?"

Rage's smile was slow to spread. His eyes were hooded. "Volt, correct? You've brought a hero into our midst."

"Rage…" Levi replied warningly, glancing around to make sure no one was listening.

"And there he is, following along after Kraken like he always does." Rage brought his glass to his lips, and took a thoughtful sip. "I suppose he feels like he owes Kraken something."

Levi despised that Rage was able to make him curious. "And what does that mean?"

For once, Rage's expression seemed to lose some of his humor. He was staring hard in Kraken's direction, as if mulling over something. Finally, he sniffed and looked back at Levi. "For a long time, I figured there was no point in telling you this. It wasn't my business, anyway. But now I can see that you need a clean break from Kraken if you're ever going to join my side."

Something deep within Leviathan stirred. Something warning him.

He took a step back from Rage, as if by instinct.

Rage noticed, chuckling. "I mean, I hate to break up such a beautiful relationship, but you two don't  _need_ each other. You're not exactly the twins you were supposed to be." He cocked his head at that. "Have you ever thought about what your twin would have been like? Your Kraken?"

Levi shook his head, retreating even more. Even if he had ever thought about … that, he would never talk about it with Rage.

He shivered as he felt that ancient thing within him uncoil.

Gaze burning, lip curling maliciously, Rage matched him step for step. "Or perhaps you wouldn't have existed at all?" he said with a silky voice, "maybe you're some spare Leviathan used as a band-aid until the next set comes around and sets everything to rights?"

"No!" Levi felt his teeth sharpen. Scales roll along his spine.

Rage stood taller, eyes flashing. "I'm not your enemy, Leviathan. Hell, it's not like I would ever have wanted to fuck your psychotic predecessor, so that all worked out in my favor. But I think you should know the truth."

Surging forward, he grabbed Leviathan by the collar, and pulled him close. "It was Kraken, Leviathan. Not some hero, not even another villain. Kraken killed him." And then he turned his head, pointing towards Volt. "And he did it for that man."

The serpent creature, the thing that was Leviathan's life blood, it knew that Rage was speaking the truth. Levi could feel it reel back inside him, thrash as it finally recalled how Kraken had strangled Leviathan, strangled him until there was nothing left.

It made no sense. For  _Volt?_ The creature screamed, the creature thought  _Kraken is the abnormal one. Kraken—killed me._

A roar escaped Levi's lips, one belonging to a monster he was still shifting into as the sound reverberated against the walls of the hanger. The ground suddenly sped away from him, his bones rapidly growing and moving, his legs melting away and his body expanding and lengthening. Villains scattered out of the way. He broke through the roof.

Looking down in the rubble through a haze of confusion and the rage the creature was pumping into him, Leviathan found his target. The man who had murdered him.

Kraken stood there, looking up at Leviathan.

For a brief moment, as Leviathan came crashing down with wide open jaws, he thought he had seen acceptance on his brother's face.


	21. Volume 21!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOT THE LAST CHAPTER.
> 
> Previously: Leviathan and Kraken attend VillainCon where Rage informs Levi that Kraken had been the one to kill the previous Leviathan. Overtaken by the sea monster's fury, Levi attacks his brother.

_Rage looked awfully smug when he laid out that bit of information, hadn't he_ , Levi thought to himself has his jaws closed tight around his brother.

His brother, who was no longer a giant oaf human but rather a slimey gigantic sea beast by that time, twisted a tentacle around Leviathan's snout in turn, tightening fast just to be a dick about it.  _Well if that's how you want to play._

_I don't want to fucking play,_ Kraken snarled in his head.

It made sense that Kraken killed Leviathan. He was an idiot, an idiot who couldn't be trusted to remain loyal to the bonds of brotherhood or whatever. And the dead Leviathan had been the cool one in this whole operation,  _that_ was obvious. So instead of getting his own twin, a man in his image who he would feel closer to than anyone else in the world, Levi was stuck with this brother-killing moron.

Leviathan roared. Well, he gurgled. He had some pretty raw seafood wiggling around in his mouth, after all.

He knew he couldn't beat Kraken one-on-one, so maybe he would just suffocate the both of them together on this waterless land. That way, a new pair of twins would be born, and this whole stupid farce of a life would be over. The beast inside of him snarled in approval of that idea, whipping around Levi's soul as it urged him on.  _Crush Kraken. Kill Kraken. End this!_

All of the villains seemed to agree-egging Levi on from their small ant-like place on the earth. Some friends. Kraken had helped a lot of these guys at some point or another.

_Not that I care about Kraken._

Leviathan was supposed to be revered. He wasn't some greasy scientist who accidentally stumbled into the right atomic waste dump. He wasn't a rock that was hit by a meteor that had come from the ass of some alien. He was a  _god._ He carried the blood of the sea, the rage of a million different lives meant to cause destruction and misery. (Well, destruction and misery to sailors, but that was a bit limiting).

He  _hated_ how this all turned out.

Obviously it was Kraken's fault. Rage said so.

His older brother was thrashing about, squeezing but not hitting. But see, that was the kind of moron he was, squeezing a jaw that held the teeth that were piercing into his gross octopus skin.

_Why did you do it?_

_Let me go and I'll tell you!_

The fury that coursed through Levi was not his own, but rather the monster controlling his every action. The lack of air was also making his dizzy, angry, and confused.

He decided to toss Kraken onto some of the villains. They scattered like cowards as Kraken fell against the side of the warehouse, crushing the wall beneath him. Leviathan followed, ready to slice his teeth through Kraken's heart. The idiot was just lying there like the main course, his tentacles lamely waving in the air but not going after Levi. Why was he not doing anything?!

Leviathan had half a mind to use the Serpent's Eye on him, to force him to kill himself. Wouldn't that be fun?

_Levi…_

_Don't call me that._

There was shouting around them, booming explosions and flashing lights. Leviathan ignored it all. He could only see his brother laying there in the rubble, suffocating.

_Run, Levi._

Oh. There were heroes everywhere. Buzzing around and being heroic. Capturing villains. Well, that wasn't important. Killing stupid Kraken was important.

Leviathan arced down, his jaws wide open. Something blurred past him with a shouted "No!" and then instead of Kraken he was faced with Volt's crackling palm.

Ow.

Receiving a full jolt of electricity to the nostrils was not fun. Leviathan reeled back with a high keening sound as his brain tried to reboot from the pain. Volt didn't give him the time. Hands gripped his scales, and another shock tore through him. He shrieked, whipping his tail back and forth as he tried to retreat but Volt was latched on to him.

"Just change back already," he yelled.

_Hell no._ Changing back was not the plan. Changing back in the middle of enacting revenge on his moron brother would be just another notch in a long list of failures Levi had suffered during his lifetime. At the very least, he should be able to murder his fucking  _brother._

To make things even more comical, he could see Kraken struggling after them, and swatting at Volt, who did not seem to find it funny at all. "Would you stop?" he yelled, all the while sending another electric jolt through Leviathan. "I'm trying to save him!"

Were they working together?!

Leviathan howled, rising up to his fullest height, scales rippling as he wildly searched for a target. Anything to inflict pain on would do, because frankly he was about to lose consciousness.

Volt flew from his perch but found another, grabbing onto one of Leviathan's spikes. "Triton, get your ass in gear, I can't handle both of them!"

From the corner of his eye, Leviathan saw Triton dash into view headed for Kraken.  _No no no!_ Leviathan was the one who was supposed to kill Kraken. No one else!

He dived, but Triton was too fast and Leviathan's skull collided with the cement.

"Oof, that had to hurt," he heard Volt mutter from somewhere. Idiot  _flea._

Leviathan slammed his claws down in pure frustration, his vision going hazy. What he could see where many heroes surrounding he and Kraken. There were no villains anywhere. Just those stupid fucking heroes with… their stupid fucking tranq guns.

Volt walked in front of his vision. "You might wanna change back now, so you don't die."

_Shit._ He had a point. Passing out now while transformed would mean suffocating. The last thing Levi saw before he did lose consciousness was his brother in human form getting shot by a tranq gun as he tried to reach Levi.

#

"So the manacles keep them from transforming?"

"The drugs keep them from transforming."

"Then the manacles…"

"The manacles keep them from ripping your balls off."

_Engh._ Leviathan was waking up to the voices of Triton and Volt. Not exactly chirping birds… well, similarly aggravating.

He was on a chair, he surmised. Wrists bolted down to the armrests, feet shackled to the legs. He kept his eyes closed, quickly trying to absorb all the information he could. The room was cold, and yes...there were drugs in his system. He couldn't tell what they did besides obstructing his transformation into Leviathan, because most of his faculties seemed to be in fully working order.

"Well…" That was Troy, his voice troubled. "Is it really necessary?"

"Is that a real question?"  _Volt._

"I dunno, do you want Kraken waking up to this?"

Silence reigned the room for a moment, and then Volt sighed. "There's no helping it. He'd dent the walls before listening to reason." His voice was dripping with affection and it was disgusting.

Which is how Levi gave himself away with a grown of contempt.

"I see you're awake," Volt said, now amused.

"Levi!" Levi opened his eyes just as Troy fell to his knees beside him, and cupped his cheek with a gentle palm.

Levi snarled. "Do not touch me."

For a moment, that seemed to have its intended effect. But then a spark of defiance Levi had never seen before flashed in Troy's eyes, and he stroked his hand down to Levi's throat, his fingers fanning out over Levi's chest.

_Well this is fantastic._

He heard a grunt in his head.  _It's your fucking fault._

His lip curled, but otherwise he hid any other reaction.  _Is it? Is it my fault? I don't recall being the one to murder my brother._

_Well you fucking tried, didn't you._

It was odd with the beast asleep inside of him. None of the rage coursed through Levi's veins, just annoyance.  _Couldn't even do that._

_Oh for fuck's sake._

Levi wanted to grin. That was the tone Kraken used every time Levi sulked over a ruined lobster dinner before inhaling the whole meal within minutes.

"They're talking to each other. Kraken, I know you're awake. Look at me." All of Volt's teasing humor was gone from his voice. He had knelt in front of Kraken, hands on his knees, and was staring up at him imploringly. "Would you fucking open your eyes?"

All of a sudden, Kraken's head jerked up. He snarled at Volt.

Volt smiled. "That's better." He rose slowly, and stood over Kraken. He looked at Levi, and then back again. "Now that I have both of your attention, it's time to explain how things are going to be."

"We're all gonna be one big happy family?" Kraken replied.

"Is that what you want?"

If looks could kill, Volt would be dead, and Triton and Levi would be collateral damage. It was heartwarming to see such unadulterated rage emanating from his brother. Levi even almost forgot for a moment that he had wanted to murder the idiot.

"Because," Volt continued magnanimously, "if that's what you want, I would be happy to grant it. And I think Triton would be too." Troy nodded at that, and Levi ignored him. "You both would be released under our supervision, put through a rehabilitation program, and eventually granted amnesty."

"And we walk?" Levi droned.

Volt's lips quirked. "No. You do not  _walk._ You and your brother live here at HQ with me and Troy, was that not clear?"

He was confident...but he had said that to Levi, and not to Kraken. Levi would love to see him act so smarmy towards the object of his embarrassing, sappy affections.

"And you can't try to kill each other," Troy added. He was so, so earnest.

Levi ignored him again, and stared up at Volt. "Did you really care about a raid on VillainCon, or was that purely for our benefit?"

"I had a few plans in motion," Volt replied, "Ideally, the situation would not have ended with you trying to eat Kraken, but nevertheless, I am satisfied with this conclusion."

Levi glanced at his brother. Kraken's face was red, his jaw clenched, and he was glaring down at his knees. Maybe he was trying to shift… idiot. But then he suddenly exhaled and looked up at Volt. "Fine."

For his part, Volt looked surprised. "Fine what?"

"Fine, we will do your fucking program."

"You don't speak for me," Levi hissed.

_We'll talk later._

Levi almost rose his eyebrows at Kraken's definitive tone. Pretty arrogant to assume Levi was doing any kind of obeying anymore, not with what he knew.  _I don't really feel like talking to you ever again._

"HE WAS MY BROTHER!"

If he hadn't been tied to a chair, Levi would have fallen back in fear. Kraken had twisted towards him, the shackles straining, his chest heaving. "He was  _my_ brother. Not yours. He was not you, you did not  _know_  him. You have no fucking right to be angry."

Levi was so shocked, he could feel tears threaten to fall. Mindless of Volt and Troy's presence, he hissed back, "By that logic, if he's not my brother, then neither are you."

Kraken's eyes widened. "You're mine," he growled. "I raised you from a fucking tadpole, you're  _mine._ "

Levi was stumped. The monster wasn't speaking to him, wasn't telling him what to do. Who did he owe loyalty to? Wasn't it Kraken who had denied him the chance of meeting his real twin? And wouldn't that twin eventually be born into a world without Levi? All because Kraken had committed the ultimate sin…

_Why did you do it?_

This time, Levi's question wasn't full of blind fury.

Kraken stared at him. Then he looked up at Volt.  _Because of him._

Before Levi could let out a bellow of pure frustration, suddenly his mind was filled with images.

A shipping liner at the docks. Men running from the ship as smoke rose into the air. On the deck, Kraken was lifting entire containers and tossing them into the sea. Unnoticed by the villain, a young Volt was crouched behind one of the containers and leaning around to watch Kraken. He went through several false starts before emerging from his hiding place and declaring, "Kraken, that is the property of Capitalia. Stop what you're doing."

Kraken did indeed stop, letting one container drop with a loud crack. "Haven't I seen you before?" he asked with a grin.

Volt looked momentarily ecstatic before clearing his throat. "We—I am a junior member of the Hero Alliance. Volt. I mean, my name is Volt."

"Junior member, eh?" Kraken crossed his arms over his broad chest and gave Volt a once over that made the hero blush red. "They send you here on your own?"

"They didn't send me! I was following—" If possible, Volt's face got even redder.

Kraken's eyebrows furrowed, and then slowly recognition dawned. "You're that kid who keeps bothering me. You get a new costume?"

"I was promoted," Volt replied weakly. "Listen—"

"No." Kraken waved his hand dismissively. "Go save some other villain's soul. I ain't buying."

Levi watched as Volt clenched his hands, and then took a fortifying breath. "Well I'm not  _selling_. I came here to duke it out with you, Kraken. And to bring you back to HQ!"

A slow grin spread across Kraken's face. "Well, looks like someone's finally grown a pair."

Volt lifted into the air, raising his hands as electricity crackled around them, but he seemed hesitant to do anything further. It was Kraken who suddenly dashed around one of the shipping containers, jumping on top to sprint towards Volt. He took a flying leap into the air, his fist cocked. Volt swerved out of the way, flying higher, and Kraken's hit landed on the ship's deck, denting the surface. He didn't even swing around to look as Volt shot a thunder bolt at him, he just scrambled forward, snarling when he was nearly struck.

Levi watched all this with a weird detachment, knowing it had happened decades earlier. Mostly he was thinking how much he was gonna mock Volt for being such a lovesick puppy that he wouldn't even aim right.

It was odd that Kraken hadn't transformed yet. He was right there at the ocean, and even Volt's electricity wouldn't do much to his monster form in the water. The running around and dashing at each other looked a whole lot more like playing than battling. And when Levi really focused on Kraken's face, he realized that's what it was. There was the same amused, entertained spark in his eyes that he got when Levi was small and being trained to fight.

But Kraken was behind a container when it happened.

Leviathan rose from the water, teeth gleaming in the light, his serpentine eyes locked on Volt.

_No,_ Levi thought,  _please tell me you didn't kill him to save Volt. I can't watch that._

He received no answer from Kraken.

What he did hear was Leviathan say,  _What the hell are you doing_ to Kraken before lunging forward, jaws open, at the flying hero. Volt had been so focused on Kraken that he hadn't noticed the sea monster—didn't see as those teeth closed around his middle.

There was a sharp  _crack_ and Volt screamed.

"Leviathan," Kraken shouted, still laughing a little. He lept onto one of the container and held a palm up. "C'mon, let him go."

_To come back as a full-fledged hero another day?_ The jaws tightened a little more, and Volt whimpered. He placed his hands along Leviathan's snout, and shot a pure desperate jolt of electricity. With a roar, Leviathan started shaking his head.

"Fuck," Kraken muttered. He jumped again, grabbing onto one of Leviathan's spikes, and shimmied his way up to the head. "Hey, you bastard," he said, stroking Leviathan's forehead. "He's just a whelp, fun to play around with."

Leviathan's eyes narrowed.  _No._

Before Kraken could respond, Leviathan made a sudden dive for the sea. He was going to drown Volt.

Kraken slid down and found a foothold between Leviathan's teeth. Just before all three super-powered beings slipped under the water, he started to pry Leviathan's jaws apart.

_It hadn't seemed so fucking serious,_ Levi heard Kraken say sadly in his ear.  _In the moment, I just figured Levi was feeling pissy, and didn't want a stupid hero slaughtered for it._

The ocean was almost placid for a brief moment, and then Volt erupted from the surface, arm cradling his wounded middle as he flew towards the city. Not a second behind him, Leviathan slickly followed, his eyes gleaming maniacally as he roared. Kraken was still holding onto a spike, slapping Leviathan's scales repeatedly and yelling, "No!"

The puzzle pieces started to fit into place for Levi. He knew this scene all too well. The panic in Kraken's voice—only it was usually Levi's voice—the rapidly disappearing shoreline.

Leviathan was obsessed. He stampeded over cars, his tail whipping into buildings as he followed Volt.

_I don't know why this time...out of all the times...he kept following,_ Kraken said sadly.

Clearly any trace of Levi was gone, and all that was left was Leviathan on the hunt. Maybe it was the lack of oxygen, but the sea creature's movements became more and more erratic. Kraken was screaming in full fear then, pleading with Leviathan to change back into his human form.

Finally Leviathan just stopped and fell to his belly, his head crashing on the concrete. Kraken jumped off and ran to Leviathan's eye.  _You asshole!_

The monster took long, useless breaths, wheezing.

_I should have just let him eat the fucking hero._

Levi could see Volt floating limply a few yards off, half hidden by a bus. His eyes were wide, his face pale.

"No, no," Kraken started to whisper, pressing his face against Leviathan's side. He wasn't mobile like Levi when transformed—something Levi had never considered. He would never be able to drag Leviathan back to the water like Levi had done so many times for him. So there, in that memory, Levi watched his predecessor die a slow death as Kraken kept begging for him to change.

#

_That was so stupid._

Levi knew he wasn't able to hide all that he was feeling from Kraken. Although he had wanted to sound coldly unimpressed, his entire core was hurting from hearing the pain in his brother's voice as Leviathan died.

_It was._

Kraken sounded weary, but not broken. Of course that memory wasn't fresh to him.  _I don't know what set him off. I'll never know. It could have been the one time he slipped, and the monster got control._

Levi closed his eyes.  _I'm sorry you lost your brother._

Instead of words, Kraken responded with something more basic: all that he felt towards Levi. The endless fear of losing him too, the love he had for him. The guilt for turning their duo into a joke, but only because he wanted to keep Levi out of real danger, and the desperate need to keep anyone else away from their family.

And to think Levi had almost eaten him.

He heard Kraken laugh in his head.  _Fat chance on that, buddy._

Levi's lip curled with amusement. He finally realized that Troy and Volt were no longer in the room.  _Well, I got us into this mess too._

_Yep._

They both tested their manacles, cursing when they felt the hero metal bite against their skin. Levi tried slipping his slimmer wrists through while idly saying,  _so Volt was a total nerd._

_Never met such a boy scout._

_Ha!_ The wrist thing didn't work and Levi snarled with frustration, slamming back against the chair.  _For someone holding a torch since forever, he sure is treating you like shit._

There was no answer, and Levi glanced at Kraken, who met his eye.  _You really telling me he's had a boner for me since_ _ **then**_ _?_

_Well...I used a less crude euphemism, but yes._

"Huh." Kraken had spoken aloud, a bemused look on his face. He then grinned at Levi.  _Something must run in our family, getting all these dumb ass heroes drooling after our asses._

Levi rolled his eyes, but didn't refute it.  _Certainly, my ass has come in handy._

_Eh?_

It was his turn to grin at Kraken.  _They just love the idea of sticking it to a villain, something I enjoy using against them. Troy especially is easily manipulated. You should try it on Volt._

Although the idea of Kraken manipulating Volt seemed incredibly farfetched.

Before Kraken could answer, the door to the room slid open and Volt and Troy walked inside. "So," Troy said, "is uh...everything worked out between the two of you?" Volt didn't speak, but rather just stood there, his gaze moving from Kraken to Levi and back again.

"Yes," Levi replied. "Does that mean we get to leave?"

Volt quirked a smile. "It means we move forward with rehabilitation."

"Oh, joy," Levi said wryly. He felt Kraken about to rile up again.  _Don't. We'll devise a plan later._

_They're gonna fucking brainwash us!_

_You don't have a brain to wash,_ Levi replied.

He heard Kraken snarl just as Volt said, "Now, none of that. You two can't be keeping secrets from us while you go through this process."

"And what is the process?" Levi said.

"Troy and I act as your sponsors as you take several courses in morals and ethical living."

_Well that sounds incredibly boring._ "And you just keep us here as prisoners without a trial?"

Troy knelt down beside him again and placed a hand on his knee. "Think about this Levi, you just pass the classes, prove you're redeemed, and you won't be a villain anymore. You could live here with me and your brother… Remember, you promised me that you'd quit?"

Levi eyed him, annoyed that the promise was coming back to bite him the ass. His plan hadn't even worked anyway.

"What do you get out of being a villain anyway?" Troy continued.

"Enough." Volt pulled Troy back and then snapped his fingers. The door slid open again and several masked heroes walked in with tranq guns. "We can't expect them to be open to this right now. We'll let them rest and get back to it tomorrow."

"You gotta be kidding me," Kraken growled. "Those toys can't take us out."

"In your current state, they'd slow you down." Volt replied as two of the men came forward to undo the shackles. "And you're sitting in the heart of HQ, Kraken. Don't think you can escape."

His last words sounded almost desperate. Levi stared at him, trying to figure out what his game was. The idea of Volt actually believing Kraken or Levi would give up their villain identities to play housewives to a couple of villains was laughable.

There was a shout. Kraken had thrown his guard out of the way and moved faster than anyone else to slam Volt against the wall.

Recovering immediately, Volt used his superior speed to slip out of Kraken's hold, spinning around and shoving Kraken forward chest first.

Levi was about to jump to help, but Kraken hiss  _wait,_ and he paused, the guards grabbing both his arms.

Volt's front was pressed up against Kraken's back, his arm around Kraken's throat, their muscles straining. Hmm… Levi thought, amusement starting to seep in. Maybe Kraken was a fast learner, considering the way he was curving his ass towards Volt's crotch.

If he really was doing that on purpose, it was impossible to tell from his face which was contorted with anger. "Get the fuck off me," he snarled.

Behind Kraken, Volt looked delightfully conflicted. He licked his lips, eyes trained on Kraken's mouth. But then he tightened his hold a little and said, "You  _will_ do this."

"Like fuck I will."

"Kraken!"

Oh how he sounded like that young Volt. Levi almost pitied him, but there another puppy-eyed hero in the room who required his attention. Troy was staring at him, as if trying to figure out where Levi really stood. "They could argue like this all day," Levi said calmly.

Troy nodded. "Volt. Let's just get them to their rooms."

_Levi almost smirked. Too easy_

Volt backed away from Kraken with annoyed huff, wiping his hair from his forehead. He looked honestly frustrated. With a whirl of his fingers, he got out of the way as the guards surrounded both Kraken and Levi. "Take them to their rooms. Don't let them spend too much time together."

Led out of the room, Levi followed obediently until they reached the living quarters that he remember from his previous jaunt into HQ. The first door slid open, and the guards indicated for Kraken to enter. He came to a full stubborn stop and crossed his arms over his chest. "Hell no. Not without Levi."

"It's fine," Levi replied. "They're heroes. Besides whining at us about the power of good, they won't do anything too tortuous…"

Kraken still looked annoyed and hesitant but he sighed in defeat, and entered the room. The door closed behind him.

Further down the hallway, they reached what Levi surmised was his room.

"I'll take it from here," he heard from behind. It was Troy walking towards the group. The guards nodded their understanding and left the two of them, but only after Troy directed Levi into the room with a hand at the small of his back.

Even before the door closed, Levi approached Troy with a small smile, and wrapped his arms around the hero's neck. "Well, it's been a long day," he purred.

Troy just frowned at him.

Levi didn't let his expression falter. "And now you boys have us all locked up," he said, his voice low and promising.

Reaching up, Troy pulled Levi's arms away and stepped back. That was… a new reaction.

"Things have changed, Levi," Troy said.

Demeanor shifting entirely, Levi crossed his arms and quirked an eyebrow. "Oh? I suppose they have, considering  _you_ promised to keep the heroes away from VillainCon, and yet here my brother and I am, captured by you idiots."

Troy smiled tiredly. "Are we really the idiots?"

Levi knew a flash of anger crossed his face at that.

Stepping forward, Troy just looked down at Levi without touching him. "Without me and Volt, you and Kraken would be facing the Heroes' Council. You would be found guilty of villainy and sentenced to a life in the cells. If I hadn't brought the heroes, you two would have killed each other."

With a sniff, he passed around Levi but stopped at the door. "Even if you don't want to, you're going to do this. You and Kraken." He left. His words lingered—and also what he hadn't said, but clearly meant:

_You both belong to us now._

#

 


End file.
